You Can Blame The Pomegranates
by Julie Anna T
Summary: A mad Queen, a Prince running for his life and a boy willing to do anything to help the ones he loves most. Did I mention the seven outlaws and their badass leader? Snow White AU.


**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO or HoO, Rick Riordan does. And I'm not getting any money my writing this fanfiction either.**

* * *

**You Can Blame the Pomegranates**

_by percico-feels_

* * *

Our story begins like many others... A long time ago, in a faraway land lived a young King, who was extremely powerful and respected by his people. His name was Hades and he was the ruler of the richest and most prosperous kingdom, among all kingdoms.

King Hades was a man of rare smiles that ruled his kingdom with justice, although sometimes he could be quite terrifying. Everyone on the land respected King Hades, as much as all his enemies feared him; he was a true warrior and his reputation was known among all places.

But the young King's life was not resumed to battles and royalty meetings. King Hades had a wife who he loved very much. Queen Maria was a kind and beautiful woman and everyone on the kingdom loved her as much as they respected their King.

On their first years of marriage, the Queen gave birth to their first child; a pretty little girl they called Bianca. Princess Bianca reminded her mother so much that in very little time, she had the entire kingdom wrapped around her chubby fingers.

But, although he loved his daughter dearly, King Hades wished for a son more than anything else. So when Princess Bianca was only three years-old, her mother gave birth to another child; a baby boy they called Nico.

And for two whole years, that small family lived happily and in peace.

A few days before Prince Nico's birthday, Queen Maria got really ill. The celebration was canceled, because the Queen had no conditions to attend parties, or even get out of bed.

No doctor was able to tell exactly what the Queen had. Her illness was a mystery and not even the best doctors on the kingdom had were capable of a precise diagnosis. As the days passed, the Queen's illness just got worse and King Hades was not even leaving her bedside anymore.

Those were tough days; Princess Bianca couldn't stop crying for seeing her mother so unwell and, consequently, Prince Nico couldn't stop crying either. And as for the King, his spirit seemed to be drained from his body, as he was forced to watch his wife's life slipping away.

Inevitably, on a cold winter night, Queen Maria fell asleep and never woke up again.

And what a tragedy was that event for the whole kingdom! But specially, what a tragedy it was for the young princes and King.

For a couple of years, King Hades dedicated all his time to his children and his duties as monarch. He gave his best to fill the Queen's absence, but most of the times he simply couldn't. The young ones needed a motherly figure on their lives.

They needed someone who could give them the kind of affection only mothers can give. They needed someone who could give them a shoulder to cry and who could say sweet things when they were too scared to sleep.

And with that in mind, three years after his wife's death, King Hades wedded once more. Lady Persephone, a stunning and charming Lady from the Court, was the one chosen to fulfill Queen Maria's place.

No, King Hades didn't love her at that time, but the way his children fell in love with Persephone when they met her, and the kind way she treated them, was enough for the King to make that decision. Maybe with time, he could love her too.

* * *

**_Years later…_**

"Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?"

The magical mirror in front of the Queen flickered and soon it showed a face made of shadows, instead of the Queen's reflection.

"There's no Lady fairest than you, my Queen" the mirror answered "But I must warn you, Prince Nico is growing fast and soon will be the fairest of all people on this land."

The Queen's face contorted in fury.

"Blasphemy! He's just a brat, a boy, he can't be fairest than me."

"But still, what I say is true. Prince Nico soon will become the fairest and the most loved on this kingdom. This poor servant would never lie to its Queen."

"Silence! I don't want to hear this anymore."And as Queen Persephone moved her hand fast in front of the mirror, the shadowy face disappeared.

"It can't be, it can't be!" Persephone mumbled to herself, walking from one place to another on her chambers "That damn brat can't be fairest than me, he can't!"Persephone was furious. Her face, once so beautiful, now was just a mask of pure envy and hate. She had to do something, she knew that. She would never let that freak ruin her reputation of fairest Lady of all lands; a reputation she had done **_anything_** to maintain intact.

No. She needed to get rid of that boy and the Queen would deal with him the same way she had dealt with his hideous sister.

"GUARDS!"

Two soldiers from the Royal Guard entered the Queen's chambers in mere seconds. Good, Persephone appreciated when her servants showed competence. She really wasn't on the mood of replacing her guards… again.

"You called, your Majesty?" the Commander asked, kneeling in front of her.

Persephone dismissed the other soldier, who wasted no time on obeying her.

"I did. Answer me, Commander, is the Prince still hunting frequently?"

"Yes, my Queen. Those are the only occasions when the Prince actually leaves the castle. He usually spends his time on his chambers, library or at the training area."

Good. Excellent, actually.

"And who accompanies him in these expeditions? I'm sure he's not venturing on the forest all by himself. The place is full of outlaws and they're quite dangerous."

"The Huntsman used to accompany him" the Commander said, an ironic smile played on his lips "But since that terrible accident last year, the Huntsman's son has taken his father's place. Rumors says that they're very good friends."

Oh, Persephone knew what rumors said. She knew every single version and details of those rumors, so she could assure something; _Friends_ was not the term used to describe the relationship between Prince Nico and the other boy.

"Friends, of course" she said, stepping closer to her Commander "I want you to bring me the boy, I need to talk to him. And when you go see him, ask his mother to come along as well."

"Yes, your Majesty. Should I bring the woman to your presence?"

The Queen's sweet smile and innocent expression weren't enough to fool the Commander; she had plans and he would be the one to put it to work.

"The woman goes to the dungeons, Lord Commander" she said softly "Just the boy comes to see me."

"As you wish."

And after a quick bow, the Commander made his way to the door.

"Be discreet, Commander" the Queen warned, before he could leave her chambers "I don't want a commotion. Be kind to them at first and arrest the woman only when inside the castle. **_Be discreet_**."

"Always, my Queen."

* * *

The knocking on the door of the small shack startled mother and son. They looked at each other briefly, while Percy stood up to open it. The Commander of the Royal Guard was there, with three other soldiers.

"May I help you?" the boy asked, frowning.

The Commander cleared his throat, handing a piece of parchment to the boy.

"Queen Persephone asked me to escort you and your mother to the castle. She heard about the difficulties you two are facing since your father passed away and wants to know how she could help you. Your father was a great servant to the Royal family and the Queen doesn't want to let his family down on his absence.

Percy took the parchment the Commander was handing him and tried to read it. Words danced in front of his eyes, but he was able to distinguish enough to understand that the man was telling the truth. At least, he was telling what was written on that parchment, with the Queen's signature and seal.

That story, however, was sounding really strange.

It had been over a year since his father passed away; murdered on a hunt by a pack of wolves, and just now the Queen had heard about their difficulties? It was too hard to believe it. Prince Nico was aware of what he and his mother were going through and was always trying to help them. It seemed too unbelievable that the Queen had remained ignorant of their needing until that moment.

"Percy, what these good soldiers want?" his mother asked, coming closer to the open door.

"The Queen wants to see us. She wants to know what we're in need of."

"Why would the Queen worry about us?"

That was a very good question, but how could he know? Percy just shrugged.

"When are we supposed to meet her?" he asked.

"Right now" the Commander answered shortly.

He was trying to sound casual, but the look on his face was more of irony than anything else. The other soldiers just looked bored. Percy stared at his mother, asking for help; he did not like that whole story.

"Should we go?" he asked, ignoring the soldiers.

He didn't care that the Queen was calling them. If his mother didn't want to go, he wouldn't go then; and those four soldiers wouldn't intimidate him either.

"It's a calling from the Queen" Sally pondered.

And those few words were enough for Percy to know that he would be seeing the Queen soon.

The guards waited outside their shack for a couple of minutes, until Percy and Sally were ready to leave. They made their way to the castle in silence; various pairs of curious eyes followed them as they walked, but none of them dared to ask what that was about.

And during all the way, Percy couldn't help but think about how weird that situation truly was. Maybe he was just being paranoid and seeing things where there was nothing to be seen, but the boy still had some bad feelings about it.

Could he really trust the Queen's good intentions? Honestly, Percy didn't know! If it were Prince Nico calling up them, Percy wouldn't be overthinking things. Prince Nico had a kind heart and had always treated them with respect, like they were equals, even though that was an absurd (because really, Percy knew they weren't equals; Prince Nico was royalty and Percy and his mom were just peasants. He knew it and didn't feel bad for that).

But the Queen? The Queen had never shown much interest on her people; she had always preferred the company of her mirrors, jewels and people from nobility. Why would she care about Percy and his mother? He just couldn't answer those questions, but he hoped that, when they found out those answers, his bad feelings were just stupidity of him.

* * *

The walk to the castle was a bit long; the enormous building was placed on a distant area, some miles away from the village Percy and Sally lived on. When they reached the gates, they followed the way showed by the guards, through the large courtyard. Percy knew that place quite well; he lost count of how many times he had already been there, but the boy just let those men lead the way.

They crossed the courtyard on a fast pace, trying to keep up with the soldiers, and soon enough Percy and Sally were finally inside the castle. And that was when Percy's terrible feelings turned out being right.

The large doors closed behind them with a loud noise and, before Percy could even react, the soldiers were holding him and his mom; trying to immobilize both of them.

"Percy!" Sally yelled in despair, fighting to get away from the soldiers.

The fear on his mother's voice scared Percy dearly. The boy fought with the soldiers that held him, pushing and punching like a crazy person, but more soldiers were coming though the hallways and he simply couldn't fight so many at once.

"Take the woman away" the Commander said forcefully; his voice loud enough to baffle the screams of mother and son.

"NO! LEAVE HER ALONE!" Percy practically roared.

But all his efforts were in vain. The soldiers were too many and, although Percy was quite a good fighter, he was outnumbered. When they took his mother through a different hallway, Percy tried to put up a fight once again, but someone hit him in the head and the boy felt like the whole world was spinning around him.

For a couple of moments, Percy even thought he was about to lose consciousness. His knees buckled and, as much as he tried to call for his mother, his voice seemed stuck in his throat. The guards grabbed him by the arms, dragging the almost unconscious boy through hallways he had never seen, but all his brain could process were his mother's yells.

"Hurry! The Queen doesn't like to wait too long" the Commander hissed, making his men walk faster.

They passed through many doors and used lots of stairs, but everything was kind of defocused to Percy; he couldn't distinguish where exactly they were going and when he was convinced that they would never reach their destination, they crossed one last door and, soon, the soldiers dropped him violently on the floor.

"The boy, your Highness."

Trying to steady himself and regain his strength to get up, Percy lift his body using his elbows; his head was aching thanks to one of those soldiers and his legs were trembling.

"I thought I'd asked you to be gentle, Commander" a soft voice was heard on the room "You can wait outside, I need to talk to my guest now."

When he heard the sound of the door being closed, Percy used the strength he had to get to his knees.

"These soldiers sometimes use too much violence" the soft voice spoke, close to where the boy was "I'm sorry for their behavior, darling."

Delicate hands held Percy's arms with surprising force and helped him to stand up. And just then, he looked at the Queen for the first time.

Queen Persephone was known for her unique beauty and, Percy had to admit, the tales he had heard were definitely true. Her eyes were of a dark shade of brown, but they were everything but ordinary. No, the Queen's eyes held a different glimmer that could never be compared to any other. Her hair was meticulously on arranged and her skin had no imperfections. It was hard to describe her face, because any adjective would never be enough to define her true beauty. In few words, Queen Persephone was stunning in every way possible.

"Come, sit here" she said with kindness, guiding him to the nearest chair "I'm truly sorry for what my soldiers did to you."

Percy sat down, thanking mentally for that support, but still hesitant on the Queen's presence.

"There's no need to be shy" she assured "It's everything okay."

No, there was nothing okay there and Percy wanted to say that out loud so badly. His mom had been dragged away from him by those brutes, how was that okay?

"My mom" he said quietly, still a bit dizzy.

"Your mother is fine and nothing will happen to her" the Queen replied "But now, the two of us need to talk, Percy."

Queen Persephone put a chair in front of the boy and sat down gracefully.

"I've heard that you and your mother are facing some difficulties since your father passed away last year. He was one of my most loyal servants, one of the best I've ever had. Is there anything I can do to help you? It's not fair for you and your mother face so many problems because of a tragedy. Tell me what you need and I'll make sure you'll have it."

Percy blinked a couple of times, trying to decide if that was truly happening; that scene was still too unbelievable.

"We're fine. We don't need your charity."

His answer was rude, he knew it, but he didn't regret it; there was something weird there and all those mirrors distributed among the place just made him feel weirder; who needs so many mirrors?

If his answer disappointed Queen Persephone, she hid it perfectly.

"But my dear, this is no charity. I just want to compensate you for your father's excellent work" she reasoned "But if this makes you uncomfortable, I can offer my help in exchange for a little task I have in mind. Would that be better?"

Doubt. That was what Percy felt. The most pure kind of doubt, mixed with a bit of suspicion.

Yes, it would. But what would I have to do?"

The smile on the woman's face changed almost instantly; from a kind sweet smile to one of pure irony. On that moment, Queen Persephone didn't seem so beautiful anymore.

"You and Prince Nico go hunting very frequently, am I right?" she asked "I've heard you two are… _friends_."

Percy felt a pang of panic set in his stomach. The way Queen Persephone said the word 'friends' left no doubts that she was only being discreet; that friends was not exactly what she had heard, but that she was too polite to say something.

And Percy had an idea of exactly what the Queen had heard; he knew what great part of the village talked about him and Prince Nico when they weren't around. The rumors were various and there were lots of versions but one thing all of that talking had in common… in those rumors, Percy and Prince Nico were _way more_ than friends.

"Y-yes, we're friends" he agreed, unable to contradict the Queen.

Because, really, what else could he say? That he and Prince Nico shared something that was much more than a mere friendship? He would never do say such a thing, because that was untrue; although Percy would easily admit that he indeed had some feelings for the Prince that could be considered inappropriate.

"And you two go hunting frequently?"

Percy just nodded.

"Is Prince Nico a good hunter and warrior?" she asked.

That question was, at least, odd; his suspicions about the Queen's good intentions were growing by each second. That conversation was going through a path Percy did not like.

"Your Highness didn't call me here to ask if Prince Nico is a good hunter, did you?" he asked carefully "Nor even to offer your help for my father's good service."

A giggle left her lips, as Queen Persephone cast a look of amusement to the boy."

"Aren't you a smart boy? I mean, for a peasant" she said, and the woman really seemed impressed "I admit, helping you was never my true intention, but the deal I've offered you is serious. I'll help you and your mother, as long as you do something for me."

He kept quite; Percy had a feeling that he was not going to like what the Queen had in mind.

"Of course, you if say no, I fear I won't be able to protect your mother against whatever my soldiers are thinking on doing with her."

"What are you going to do to her?" Percy asked horrified.

"Me?" she replied innocently "I won't do anything to your mother, my dear. My soldiers, on the other hand, I can't assure you. They're so unpredictable! But if you say yes to our little deal and do whatever I ask you, than nothing will happen to your precious mother. I will personally take care of it, she'll be safe from any harm."

On a sudden act of courage (or stupidity), Percy got up from the chair and threw himself on the Queen's direction. His blood was boiling with anger and all those emotions were just making his headache worse.

He never even touched the Queen, though. Before he could reach her, the Queen raised one of her hands, while still sitting on her chair, and a shining purple fog appeared, hitting Percy on the chest. After that, he couldn't move a single muscle of his body; he couldn't even talk, no matter how desperately he was trying to.

"Now listen to me carefully, little brat" the Queen scolded, and any trace of her previous kindness was long gone "You'll do exactly what I say, or I swear I'll give your mommy to my soldiers and they'll do whatever they want to her. And believe me, my soldiers can be quite cruel sometimes."

She got up; her black dress flowing around her legs on a strange way while she walked, even though there was no wind coming into the room; all the windows, as well as all the doors were closed.

"Okay, let's go straight to the point, shall we? All this acting is too tiring to my beauty" the Queen continued "The next time you and Prince Nico go on hunting, a terrible accident will happen to my stepson. The poor boy will trip on a root on the woods and will fall right into your sword, or he'll lose control of his horse and they'll fall from a cliff. Better, my favorite excuse of all time, a bunch of outlaws will surprise both of you and my beloved stepson won't survive the attack."

She was having a great time imagining all those scenarios, Percy could see it plastered all over her face how appealing all those possibilities truly were to the Queen.

"Anyways, he won't come back, poor thing, and this will make me simply devastated! My beautiful and beloved stepson, the one I raised as my own son… dead! What a tragedy. We'll have a huge funeral on his honor and I'll play my part as mourning stepmother greatly, exactly the way I did when that hideous girl died."

Queen Persephone came face to face with the paralyzed boy and smiled the same sweet smile as before. If Percy hadn't heard the grotesque speech the woman had just made, she could have fooled him easily. The Queen touched his face lightly and stroked his cheek, but all Percy felt was repulse.

"And you, my sweet Percy. You'll be the only one to witness this infortune and you'll come to me immediately, to tell me what happened" she whispered and her voice was as cold as ice "I want you to bring me his heart. I don't care what you'll do with the rest of his body, you can keep it to yourself as long as I'm concerned, but I want his heart. Kill him, take his heart and bring it to me. Doing this, your pretty mother will walk away freely from my dungeons and without a scratch. Tell this to anyone and I'll make you regret. Are we clear?"

No answer came out if his mouth. Of course no answer came out of his mouth, because the Queen still had him trapped into that freaking spell and he couldn't move!

"Ooops, how could I forget this?" she laughed, and snapping her fingers, Percy felt the sensibility returning to his body and he almost fell "Do we have a deal, kid?"

"You're a monster!" he spit out the words, furious.

But the Queen just rolled her eyes impatiently.

"Yeah, yeah, people already told me that, don't think you're the first one. Actually, I'm having a déjà vu right now" she said bored "But I'll ask you again; do we have a deal?"

Percy's green eyes were filling with tears; his lips pressed into a thin line and his hands gripping the hem of his shirt to prevent them from shaking. But the boy didn't shed a single tear. Not in front of that woman, not even with his heart aching like it was.

"Yes" he mumbled.

"Good boy" the Queen said, winking.

Percy felt sick.

* * *

When dawn broke and sunshine started to slip into his chambers, Prince Nico was already up and fully dressed.

The young Prince finished packing, getting his hunting material and attached the sword on his belt. When everything was ready, he took his saddlebag and took the stair to the first floor.

Passing by the kitchen, the Prince got some food for the day and a small bag of strawberries. He was quite aware of how much of a fan of strawberries Percy was and he also knew that the boy usually didn't have enough money to buy it.

"Good morning, Prince Nico" Cora, the castle cooker greeted him, as soon as she caught the boy stealing strawberries "Fell out of bed?"

Cora was a woman of fifty-something years old, very short and with a kind face; and she was really kind indeed. She'd been more of a motherly figure to Prince Nico than Persephone ever was.

"Good morning Cora, and no I didn't fall off my bed" he answered, putting the strawberries on his saddlebag "It's hunting day."

He finished packing all the food and, at last, picked an apple from a basket on the kitchen table.

"Good luck, then" Cora wished, while the boy walked to the back door "And take care!"

"Sure!" the Prince yelled in reply from the courtyard.

He made his way to the stables, biting his apple once in a while and stopping just long enough to greet the servants who were already doing their work. Percy was at the stables when Prince Nico arrived and, for a few seconds, his heart rate increased slightly.

"Aren't we feeling productive today?" he said out loud, making his presence noticed."

The other boy must have been lost in thoughts, because he almost jumped out of his skin. He turned around abruptly, facing the Prince with widened eyes.

"Why do you have to walk without making a noise?" he complained "You almost scared me to death!"

"Well, I can't help if you don't pay attention to what you're doing and is someone so easy to scare. Idiot."

Prince Nico's reply was enough to make Percy regret what he had just said and calm down a little; well, calm down as much as his deplorable situation allowed him to. He sighed and got back to his task, preparing the horses.

Narrowing his eyes, Prince Nico just watched the boy carefully. Percy seemed different, seemed worried. He could see that something was wrong by the stiffened way Percy was moving while working on the horses. During all those years he had known Percy, the boy rarely showed any kind of concern about anything; even when he was facing some serious problems with his mother, after the Huntsman's death. That was who he was, Percy never shared his problems, because he hated being a burden to anyone else and although many thought that was one of the boy's virtues, Prince Nico just thought that that was bullshit; that stubbornness of keeping his problems to himself just made Percy suffer alone and if there was one thing that Prince Nico hated, was to see Percy suffer in any way.

"The horses are ready" Percy finally said short after.

And with very few talk, they attached their belongings on their saddles and left towards the forest.

Prince Nico had always loved the forest. He loved the freedom that place represented to him; that was one of the very few places where he didn't have Persephone watching his every move. On the forest, there were no guards watching his steps, there were no servants asking him at every twenty minutes if he needed something. There, he had Percy by his side and, honestly, if Percy was by his side, nothing else really mattered.

Sometimes, the young Prince wandered about how wrong those thoughts involving his friend were. What would his parents say, if they were alive, if they knew what kind of feelings the Prince had about the other boy? Would they've been shocked? Disgusted? Would they've been disappointed with him? Or would they've supported the Prince's choice. He would never know those answers for real, because his parents were dead and could never answer him. But still, those questions haunted him from time to time.

They rode in silence for a long time. Prince Nico too lost in thoughts to say something and Percy just too busy trying to open their way through the forest to start a conversation.

"You're acting weird" Prince Nico commented, when they stopped on a clearing, to look for a track they could follow.

"It's just a headache" Percy replied, but he didn't sound convincing.

But Prince Nico never had the opportunity to question his friend. Soon, Percy showed him a recent track on the mud and, after they tied the horses on some threes, they went off looking for the animal that left that track behind. It was probably a deer, so they had to walk making as few noises as possible. That part was quite easy to the Prince; he had lived his whole life trying to avoid Persephone's hysterical attacks, so tracking a deer was no problem to him.

* * *

It was noon when the two boys returned to the clearing where they had left their horses. They were both tired and hungry from spending hours tracking down their prey. In the end, those tracks they had found indeed belonged to deer… lots of it! They were basically everything every hunter in this world could have hoped to find on a hunting trip. And Percy made the favor of shooing them away by tripping on a root and ending up sprawled on the grass, making so much noise that even the birds on the trees flew away scared. Prince Nico tried to shoot the deer with some arrows, but they were too far and were moving too fast.

After that whole fiasco, they agreed it was time to get back to the clearing and eat. They took care of the horses first, then sat down side by side, resting their backs on an old piece of oak three, to eat their food in peace.

Neither of them said much during their meal and all that silence was driving Prince Nico insane! Why was Percy so quiet? By the love of God, that boy was never one to keep quiet for so long; most of the times, Prince Nico had to ask him to shut up, because it was normal for Percy to babble all the time. What the hell was happening there?

"I brought something for you" the Prince said suddenly, looking for something on his saddlebag,

He then finally found what he had been looking for and handed it to Percy; it was the small bag of strawberries he had stolen from the kitchen that morning.

Percy's eyes were fixed on the small bag of fruits, but he made no move to take it and, for some freaking weird reason, Prince Nico realized that his friend's eyes were glistening with tears. That was too much for him.

"What's wrong with you today, Percy?" he asked, casting his friend a serious look "And don't tell me it's a headache, because I'm not stupid."

Percy shrugged.

"It's n-nothing" he insisted "Me and my mom are having the same problems as always. You know… since my father's death and all."

"I've told you I can help you with that."

Percy felt sick of his stomach, while he tried really hard to control his shaking legs. It was a good thing they were sitting on the ground, because he was sure his legs would have failed him, if he had tried to stand. He needed to change the subject as soon as possible.

"It won't be necessary…" and when he spoke, his voice was quieter than usual "I… got a j-job recently."

The genuine smile that appeared on the Prince's lips was completely unexpected and took Percy aback. Prince Nico was not one to smile very often.

"This is great! You'll be able to help your mother, then."

All that sincere happiness showed by the Prince just made Percy feel even worse about 'his new job' and the task that was already hard, got ten times harder. How would Percy be able to kill the Prince? That wasn't fair to any of them and, much less, to his mother. His hate for the Queen was growing fast by each second as the boy realized how screwed he really was.

"Yeah, it's great indeed" he agreed, finally accepting the bag of strawberries Prince Nico was still offering.

The gesture seemed to please the Prince. He finished his meal and, short after, got up, stretching his legs. Percy just watched him, taking a few bites on the fruits he had safely in his hands.

"I'll fill up our water bottles on the river, then we can go back to the castle when you finish eating" Prince Nico said, picking up the two bottles they had left on the ground "You're not very focused on the hunt today, we can catch those deer another time."

Percy had no time to say anything, because Prince Nico was already leaving the clearing and, right there, Percy realized he was running out of time. He had spent that whole day trying to gather enough courage to fulfill the Queen's orders, but he failed miserably. He just couldn't make his heart rate get back to a normal pace, or force himself to raise the sword and kill the Prince, because the last thing he wanted was to see the Prince - _his Prince_ - hurt.

But he needed to do it anyways.

He needed to do it for his mother's safety. He needed to face those endless doubts and conflicting feelings, he needed to ignore the never-ending pain on his chest that appeared every time he thought about what he was about to do.

That was when Percy finally got up from where he had been sitting that whole time. He got up, took his sword and sneaked into the woods, taking the same path the Prince had taken moments later.

Percy's steps were cautious and he also had some difficulty to breath. His heart was beating so fast and there was a terrible sting in his eyes, but he was doing his best not to cry. The forest, out of a sudden, seemed so much colder than it used to be, so much darker. The threes around him, the same ones that once provided him some shelter from the sun, now just seemed to be getting too close for his liking; it was suffocating.

And the walk between the clearing and the river had never been so long before. But eventually, Percy reached the edge of those woods and, as soon as he got there, he was able to see the Prince close to the water; completely unaware of Percy's presence.

A lump formed on his throat and a few tears blurred his vision, but Percy forced himself to keep going. He approached the Prince carefully, holding his sword. The weapon was trembling, just like his hands, but the boy prepared himself for the attack nonetheless.

'It's for my mom, I need to do it for my mom' he thought, as he tried to force his body on doing what he was supposed to do 'If I don't do this, my mom is dead… or worse.'

But as much as his brain insisted that he needed to keep going, his body didn't respond his commands. The pain on his chest was too great and he felt too sick; everything around him was too dark. The sword was in his hands, but the boy just couldn't bring himself to actually use it, he couldn't force himself to kill someone he loved. Because as bizarre and wrong and disgusting as it was, that was the truth. On that moment, on that forest, Percy finally admitted that he loved the Prince. He loved him like he had never loved anyone else before. He loved the Prince on a way he was not supposed to, because that kind of love between two men was simply not natural, but Percy couldn't do anything to change it; he couldn't help it.

And as he looked at the Prince there, completely ignorant of his presence, entirely vulnerable, exposed and having no idea that Percy was about to take his life… that was too much and Percy realized he could never force himself on hurting Prince Nico. He would never be able to bring any harm to that boy, because his heart would never allow him to.

"I can't" he mumbled, dropping the sword on his hands "I can't."

Tears rolled down his cheeks and Percy's legs felt too weak to support his weight; he fell on the ground, hiding his face with his hands as all those suffocating feelings got out of his body along with his tears.

"Percy?" Prince Nico's soft voice called him "Percy, what's happening?"

But Percy would never be able to answer that, even if he wanted to. The lump on his throat prevented him of saying a single word and even breathing was hard. He just sobbed, still hiding his face and refusing to look at the Prince.

"Percy, please, talk to me" Prince Nico pleaded, and the alarm on his voice was noticeable.

The boy shook his head, refusing to look at anywhere other than the ground, but strong hands reached for his shoulders and, as much as Percy tried to get away, Prince Nico finally forced his friend to look at him.

"What is it?"

"I can't do it" Percy sobbed.

Prince Nico frowned, having no idea of what Percy was talking about, and they stared at each other for some moments. Then, for his entire shock, the Prince pulled his friend closer and hugged him carefully; and everything Percy managed to do was to hide his face onto the Prince's chest and cry.

* * *

"That whore!" Prince Nico shouted out indignant, scaring Percy a little.

After long minutes crying like a baby – and embarrassing himself -, Percy recovered enough of his composure to explain what had happened to his mother and what the Queen had demanded; and just as the Huntsman's son finished telling the whole story, Prince Nico made that sincere observation about his stepmother.

"We must get back to the castle and save your mother" he said furious "That woman can't hold her prisoner like this. I've always known that she was a coldhearted whore, but this time she crossed the line."

Percy shook his head in disagreement, although he felt touched by the Prince's good intentions.

"You can't go back, it's too dangerous. If the Queen sees you, my mother is dead. I must go back alone, she must think I killed you. It's the only way to save my mother."

"I won't let you face that witch alone, Percy! If she finds out that you're lying, she'll kill your mother _and_ you."

"And I won't let you go back there and risk your life for two peasants! The whole guard is by her side, Nico. The whole guard! And if I got it right, this is not the first time she does something like this. The evilness I saw on her eyes, the madness… she's evil, plain and simple, and she'll have you killed the moment she lays her eyes on you."

The Prince gritted his teeth feeling angered and frustrated. Why Percy had to be so stubborn?

"You're mad if you think I'm going to let you go there all by yourself" he growled.

"But this is the only way. You're too important to the Kingdom. That woman is just the Queen Regent. She stays on the throne just until you're old enough to claim your position as king. That's why she wants you dead.

"And I'll be old enough next year…" the Prince mumbled, realizing at last what his friend was talking about.

Percy nodded.

"If you go with me, you die and it doesn't matter if it's going to be the Royal Guard or the Queen herself who's gonna kill you. But if I kill you here today, you can find some place to hide until you're old enough to claim the throne. It's not the bravest option, but it's better than dying."

Walking from one point to another next to the river, Prince Nico pondered his friend's words. He didn't want to let Percy face Persephone alone; his heart ached by that mere possibility, but he had to admit that that was their best chance. He would never forgive himself if something bad happened to Percy's mother because of him.

"I don't like this" he said "I don't like the idea of you going there alone, but maybe this is our best chance."

The next few hours, they spent making up a plan to fool the Queen. They got into the woods once more and tracked down the deer, until Prince Nico shot one with an arrow. Feeling really bad about it, Percy opened the animal's chest and took its heart. Their plan was to give the deer's heart to the Queen, saying it was Prince Nico's and, after one month from that day, they would meet once again on their clearing; that was enough time for Percy to rescue his mother and to be able to leave the Village without making anyone suspicious.

"One month, then" the Prince said, on a serious tone.

"One month" Percy agreed.

They shared an intense glance; they were closer than usual and stared at each other straight in the eyes and heaven knows how Percy wished he had the courage to kiss Prince Nico on that moment! They were so close and were also about to part ways, with no guarantee they would meet again. Yes, they had a plan and it was not a bad one, but they were aware of the risk it represented too. If something went wrong, one of them would end up dead.

In the end, Percy was able to hold back his urges, and instead of kissing the Prince, he stepped closer and hugged the boy, on a way he hoped was a friendly one. Prince Nico hugged him back and they remained that way for a long time.

"Take care of yourself, okay?" Prince Nico practically pleaded, holding Percy tightly "Don't risk yourself unnecessarily."

"You too" Percy replied, backing enough to be able to stare at the Prince properly "This forest is full of outlaws, be careful with these people."

The Prince nodded. The still shared that look for a couple of seconds, until they finally realized they were still holding each other; they let go immediately, both blushing a little.

The sky was almost dark when Percy rode away, leaving Prince Nico alone on the forest, and the Prince watched his friend until he was out of eyes reach.

One month. That was the time Prince Nico had to survive on that place, having just his sword, a knife and a few things he had brought with him to keep himself safe and fed.

But the most important; One month was the time he had to survive to be able to see Percy again.

It wasn't difficult for Percy to get into the castle. When he told the guards about the 'tragedy' that happened to the Prince, the soldiers took Percy immediately to see the Queen.

Queen Persephone was waiting him at the throne room and, as soon as Percy entered the place, she ordered her men to leave.

"So?" she asked expectantly "Do you have anything for me?"

Percy's face contorted on a mask of disgust, but he took the bag he had attached to his belt and handed to the Queen.

"Exactly what your Majesty asked" he answered, his voice filled with irony.

The woman sitting on the throne clapped her hands, satisfied, and the smile curling on her lips was simply bizarre; it was a mix of wickedness and evil satisfaction.

"Come here, darling, and give it to me" she commanded on a velvety voice.

And although Percy was almost freaking out, he approached the Queen nonetheless. He handed her the bag, as she asked and stepped back; a pang of nervousness setting on his stomach, while the boy tried not to show how terrified he truly was.

To Percy's horror, the Queen not only looked inside the bag, as he thought she would do. The woman opened the bag and held the heart onto her hands; the blood was slowly dripping into her dress, but the Queen seemed too hypnotized by the organ's beauty to even bother about it.

"It's beautiful, don't you think?" she asked, but Percy was sure she was talking more to herself than to him "It's simply unique."

Percy wasn't even aware he was holding his breath, until he felt safe enough to breathe once again.

"And my mother?"

The Queen's eyes stared at boy with no emotions; it was clear that, now that he had kept his part of the bargain, Percy had no more use to that woman. Great, because he was eager to get the hell out of that place.

"Of course, your mother" she said coldly.

Queen Persephone put the heart carefully inside the bag. Then, a purple fog enveloped the package and, soon, it was gone, along with any trace of blood on the Queen's clothes.

"GUARDS!"

Six men entered the throne room in an instant.

"Take this boy to the dungeons" she said, before any of them had the chance to say a thing "His mother is there. Release her and let them go. There's no need for violence this time, weapons won't be necessary."

"Yes, my Queen" one of the soldiers replied, bowing, then turned to look at Percy "This way, boy."

Percy was almost by the door, when the Queen called him again.

"It was very nice to make a deal with you" she giggled "Send my regards to your mother."

"It was an _honor_ to serve you, your Majesty" he said, bowing mockingly.

And wasting no more time, Percy followed the soldiers to the dungeons.

* * *

When the guards opened the cell door and Percy saw that his mother was fine, he felt a wave of relief take over him; until that moment he had had no guarantee that the Queen had kept her part on the deal. He hugged his mother fiercely for some time, even though he was aware that they should get out of there as soon as possible.

"Percy! Thank God you're okay" Sally spoke, hugging her son back "I was afraid something bad had happened to you."

"I'm fine, but we need to go. I won't let you stay one more minute on this place."

Something on the way her son said those words got Sally's attention. Percy looked anxious and the woman knew her son well enough to suspect that behavior of his. But she followed him without questioning, when Percy pulled her towards the exit.

They waked back to the village on a quick pace and with very short talk. Sally tried to get some answers from Percy during their walk, but he gave her no straight answers; he just assured he would explain everything once they were home again.

"Okay, now tell me, what's happening?" Sally questioned once more, as soon as Percy closed the door of their shack "You're making me nervous, Percy."

Percy peeked through the windows, to make sure no one was watching their shack. There were no soldiers indeed, but he closed the curtains nonetheless and, using a low and serious tone, Percy at last told her mother what had happened the past few days; his 'deal' with the Queen, how he wasn't able to kill the Prince and the plan they had set up. Obviously, he didn't mention the part where he had felt the urge to kiss the hell out of the Prince because, really, his mother didn't need to know that… at least not at that moment.

"I don't like this plan, Percy" his mother finally said, as soon as Percy had finished "Maybe it would be best if we just leave the village right now. We can set up camp on the woods until the day we're supposed to meet the Prince."

Truth was, Sally was having a terrible feeling about that whole situation. If what Percy had just said were truth, they would be much safer with as many miles between them and the Queen as possible. The woman was completely mad!

Percy had a different opinion, though, because he just shook his head.

"If we leave now, with no apparent reason, people will get suspicious" he argued "What if the Queen put soldiers to watch us? If we stay here, acting normal for now, she'll realize we're no threat and she'll leave us alone."

"But if the mere possibility that you and the Prince fooled her ever crosses that woman's mind, then we'll be in danger. We won't be of any help for the Prince if we end up on the dungeons again. We need to go."

How could she explain the bad feelings she was having? She could feel it in her bones that something bad was about to happen.

Percy stepped closer to his mother and rested his hands on her tensed shoulders. He himself was quite worried about that plan, but they had to keep focused.

"Mom, we have no conditions of leaving right now. We need to get food, weapons, maps, set up our route. We can't just get into the woods without any kind of preparation. Prince Nico is counting on us."

A tired sigh left her lips when Sally realized that her son wouldn't change his mind. Sometimes he was so stubborn that it was unbelievably annoying!

"Okay, we're doing this your way, but if we get all the supplies we need in less than a month, we're leaving sooner."

Percy nodded, but Sally knew he was only doing that to please her.

* * *

Prince Nico wandered through the woods for quite a long time, looking for a place as far from the castle as possible and safe enough for him to set up camp. It was late night when he finally found the perfect spot; a small cave, next to the river. There, he'd have shelter from the wind, water and would be able to build a fire when he needed.

For three days, the Prince had no problems surviving on the forest by himself. He had his bow, so he was able to hunt to get food and, although it was quite boring, nothing unusual happened to him until his third night on that place.

After a not-so-good-meal, he laid down on the floor, next to the fire and using his saddlebag as a pillow. He fell asleep without even noticing, but his eyes snapped open again what seemed to be just some moments later, when the boy felt something restricting his movements. The fire was almost dead… and someone was on top of the Prince, pressing a knife to his throat and covering his mouth.

At the dim light provided by the fire, Prince Nico was able to see that his attacker was a blonde girl, quite pretty, although her appearance was a bit wilder than the women the Prince was used to see; her clothes were anything but lady-like. Her large eyes were dark grey and glistened with intelligence.

"If you try to scream, I'll slit your throat, got it?" she threatened.

With panic quickly spreading through his entire body, the Prince just nodded.

The girl dropped the hand that had been covering the Prince's mouth, but the knife she kept firmly pressed against his throat.

"Who are you and what are you doing on this part of the forest?" she asked.

Gulping, Prince Nico tried to come up with a plausible excuse; he couldn't just tell the truth, he didn't even know who that girl was!

"I'm just a traveler" he answered shortly "I'm waiting for my companions, so we can continue our journey."

"Right" the girl replied ironically "And I'm a long lost princess. Don't try to fool me, who are you?"

The Prince remained quiet. He needed to get rid of that girl, but if he did any sudden movement, she would certainly slit his throat for real and that was not an idea Prince Nico was very fond of. Nopes, he liked to maintain his throat intact as it was.

"Nothing?" the blonde insisted "Okay then, you can keep your silence. It would be better if you just answered me, but it seems I'll have to take you with me. Sorry, kid."

And grabbing the Prince by his clothes, the girl got up to her feet and forced the Prince on following her.

* * *

The first thing Prince Nico tried to do when they started walking, was to run away. He went off like a lunatic, trying to use the woods and darkness as coverage, but of course that was something really stupid. The girl made it clear she knew those woods quite a lot, because she found the Prince in mere minutes and when he tried to fight with her, she basically kicked his ass. In the end, all that his brilliant idea brought him was a black eye and a bump on his forehead (because Prince Nico managed to hit his head on a branch during his escape).

And thanks to his little attempt, his captor decided that she couldn't trust him, so she tied his hands and feet and the Prince had never felt so humiliated before. A girl at least five inches shorter than him had overpowered the Prince without breaking a sweat; he, that had spent his entire life learning how to fight with the best warriors on the kingdom!

"Stop!" the girl commanded, suddenly.

He stopped, but almost lost his balance on the process.

"What?" Prince Nico asked grumpily.

The girl ignored his question categorically. Instead, she approached a tree and looked at it for a couple of minutes. What she was expecting to find, he had no idea.

"It's this way" the instructed, pointing to her left "We're almost there. Come on."

He took the path she had indicated, although Prince Nico felt quite tempted to say some pretty rude things to that stupid girl.

"You're going to see a shack really soon. That's where we're going."

The Prince had no clue about where they were; they had been walking for a long time and the darkness just made everything look exactly the same to him, but he was almost sure he had never been on that part of the forest. He was sure about another thing too; if there was any shack on that forest, the place was very well hidden.

Prince Nico was almost convinced that that girl was completely nuts, that there was no shack through those woods, when, suddenly, a wall of trees around them disappeared and they were standing in the edge of a large clearing. In the middle of the clearing was indeed a shack made of ordinary wood; there was smoke coming out of its chimney.

"Go, go" the blonde girl urged "I'm freezing here."

"At least we agree on something" Prince Nico snarled, while stumbling to the building.

And God, he was damn serious! The temperature had dropped drastically as the hours passed and Prince now felt like the cold was getting into his own bones (and no, that was not something very pleasant to him).

When they reached the door, the girl opened it with no ceremony and pushed the Prince inside.

The place was quite dark, the only source of light on the room they were came from the fireplace. Prince Nico could feel the girl's knife pressed to his back, when she spoke really close to him.

"Sit down."

That was extremely irritating. If they were on a different situation; if he didn't have his hands literally tied to his back he could've tried to break free. Maybe, if he managed to get his sword back, he could try again, but on that moment, he needed to face the truth. Right now, a skinny girl much shorter than him had all his weapons; he was tied up and couldn't even walk some steps without stumbling on the ropes that tied his feet. So, when the girl told him to sit down, he did, although he scolded while doing so.

"What? You'll bring me tea or something?" he retorted ironically.

He was tied up and had no weapons, but that wouldn't prevent him from saying what he wanted.

The girl just cast him a warning look.

"If I were you, I'd drop the irony" she said simply, while tying the Prince to the chair "I'd try to show some respect. Believe me, you don't want to anger Reyna, she has very short patience with smartasses like you."

"Whatever."

If the girl heard him or not, he didn't know. She just finished tying him to the chair in silence.

"Stay here" she said, once she was finished, and then smirking she added "Don't move."

Clenching his jaw, the Prince practically growled in fury; that damn girl was mocking him! He watched as she left the room and disappeared through a door.

As soon as Prince Nico realized he was alone, he gave a good look at his surroundings. The place was kind of small, but the fireplace was lightened up and provided enough heat to warm the Prince's bones again. There was also a table for meals with chairs of different sizes, a shelf full of things he couldn't distinguish and a worktable on the opposite wall. His sword, as well as all his stuff, was resting on the worktable.

Looking over his shoulder briefly, to make sure no one was coming, Prince Nico pushed the chair he was tied forwards, throwing his body on that direction and getting some impulse in order to reach the worktable. The chair almost fell, but after rocking dangerously, the chair remained on its place.

The boy sighed relieved and, impelling his body once more, he proceeded on his mission to reach the worktable and get his sword back. He had to get out of there before that annoying girl could come back.

"I told you he was going to try to escape again" her voice was heard on the room, from somewhere behind Prince Nico.

Her arrival startled the Prince; the impulse he got was too forceful and the chair fell backwards this time with a loud thud. From his position on the floor, he was able to see the blonde girl by the door, along with a tall black-haired girl and two other boys; a blonde one and one with curly messy hair.

"Someone pull this boy up" the black-haired girl demanded, while walking to the other side of the table and sitting on a chair.

The blonde boy approached and pulled the chair up without any visible effort. The Prince just muttered some rude things quietly, too embarrassed by his humiliating situation.

The others made no move to join them on the table and soon Prince Nico realized that he was finally face to face with the leader of those teenagers. She stared at him meticulously; Prince Nico felt like that girl was trying to read him own soul. Her hands were flat against the table and for a quite amount of minutes, nothing was said.

The Prince, however, didn't cower; he stared back at that girl and simply refused to look away.

"Annabeth told me you refused to tell her who you are" the black-haired commented; her tone so calm that was almost fake "What are you so afraid of?"

A low growl left the Prince's throat before he could contain it. Afraid!

"I'm afraid of nothing" he snapped "I just don't see why I should share personal information with someone I barely know. Now let me go."

A ghost of a smile formed on the girl's lips and she rested her back on the chair.

"I don't see why I should let you go. Now tell me, who are you?"

Prince Nico pressed his lips firmly together, trying to look bored. If that girl really believed she was going to get information from him, she was wrong.

"You're deaf or what?" the curly-haired boy asked, getting impatient "Reyna is asking you a question."

"Let him be, Leo. Our little Prince must have done something really bad to be wandering on the woods, instead of being safe and sound on his royal chambers" Reyna said out of a sudden.

Not only Prince Nico was taken aback by the girl's statement, all of her companions seemed shocked by what she had just said. The Prince felt sick immediately; how could that _savage_ know about who he was? That was impossible!

"You're wearing expensive clothes, kid" she added, like she knew exactly what had been going through the Prince's mind "Your belongings are the same quality as your clothes, but this sword" she said, picking up the sword that rested on the table "This sword is another level of quality. No peasant, or even a common noble would be able to buy this kind of weapon; this is a masterpiece, only someone from royalty could afford such luxury. So I'll ask you again: what would your Majesty be doing on the woods, alone and without resources? Did you piss off your stepmom?"

That was a dead end, Prince Nico realized it soon enough and judging by Reyna's smug smile, she had realized that too. So he ended up doing something he had never though he would do someday; he tried to intimidate them using his status, so he could get out of there.

"If you know who I am, then let me go" he demanded "This is treason, I could get you all executed very quickly."

Reyna and her friends just laughed at him, but Prince showed not even a bit of the frustration he really felt.

"Sorry your Majesty, we don't play by the rules here" the boy with curly hair, Leo, laughed "No one tell us what to do, that's the good side of being a… how is it they call us?"

"Outlaws" the blonde girl, Annabeth, helped him.

"Yes, outlaws. This is the good side of being an outlaw, we just do what we want."

"You know what? I think we should free our royal guest" a deep voice was heard for the first time.

Since their arrival, the blonde boy remained completely silent, just observing his friends while they dealt with the Prince. Reyna looked at him with slight interest.

"And why would we do that, Jason?"

"Maybe he can be useful. If he's here, probably he's running from something or someone. Really, who would want to spend a cold night alone in the woods, instead of in a warm bed at the castle? And besides, why not? We have his weapons and we're four. I doubt that your Majesty could beat us all at once."

The way they were talking, like Prince Nico was nothing but an unimportant thing they had to deal with, was infuriating. Why those kinds of things had to happen to him? First, he had found out that his stepmother wanted to kill him, then he was forced to run away and hide like a coward and now a bunch of teenagers was holding him captive and acting like he was an idiot. That was too much for him to handle!

"Let me go, you jerks!" he shout out in anger.

No one seemed at least impressed by his hysterical shouting. Actually, the only one who expressed some kind of reaction was Reyna; she rolled her eyes impatiently.

"Maybe you're right, Jason" she stated, turning her intense glare to the Prince "But I warn you, your Majesty. I've been really patient with you until now, but if you try to do anything against us, you'll regret it."

Usually, Prince Nico didn't believe those kinds of threats. Usually, the person who makes those threats is just bluffing. But the cold glare on Reyna's black eyes and the impenetrable expression on her face made it clear that she was not making empty threats and Prince Nico had no doubts that she would keep her word on that promise without a second thought.

* * *

Indeed, they released the Prince, like Jason had suggested, and as payment, Prince Nico answered some of their questions. Not that he had many options there; just like Jason said, he was unarmed and outnumbered; trying to attack them would be stupid. Of course, he kept a lot of information to himself, especially the part where he was on a vengeful mission against his stepmother, as well as some details he thought unnecessary to be shared.

To his surprise, as soon as he had shared enough with those strangers, the Prince felt quite relieved and if they noticed that he was not telling all the truth, they said nothing.

Night was almost over when Prince Nico finished his tale. Jason, Leo and Annabeth said their goodnights and went to bed some minutes later, leaving Reyna and Prince Nico alone.

That was a great opportunity to him; the two of them were alone on the room, Prince Nico could easily try to get his sword back and escape, but for some strange reason, the boy didn't felt like doing it. As tough and cold as Reyna could seem, she passed this trustworthy feeling to Prince Nico that he hardly felt in anyone he had known. No, he didn't trust her yet, but maybe, with some time, he could find a powerful ally on that girl.

"Your tale is quite strange, Your Majesty" Reyna analyzed, a couple of minutes later "But if I got it right, we have at least one thing in common."

The Prince frowned.

"We all share the opinion that the Queen is a coldhearted whore" she explained, serious.

By her tone, it was more than clear that she wasn't trying to make a joke there; that was in fact her opinion about the Queen and Prince Nico couldn't have agreed more with her.

"Definitely" he nodded.

Reyna's black eyes observed him for a while, a thoughtful expression on her face. Prince Nico had to admit that situation was kind of awkward; having someone staring at you that way, without even blinking and for so long, was just … weird.

"Get your things and come with me, Your Majesty" she said suddenly, getting up from the chair and heading to the door.

"Where are we going?" he asked curiously.

They were outside the shack. At that time, the sun had already risen and the forest was once more full of life. The air was filled with noise from the animals and the place that seemed so dark just a couple of hours ago, now was shining with light.

"I'm going to stay here and wait for the others to come back from the hunt" she stated simply, facing the Prince "You're going wherever you want to go. I'm releasing you, feel free to go if you want."

For a few moments, Prince Nico thought that Reyna was messing with him, but the formal way she was talking, her posture, her expression; no Reyna was not trying to make a joke, the Prince concluded.

"Why are you letting me go so easily?" he asked, unable to control his curiosity.

It wasn't like he was complaining, or anything. Actually, getting out of that place had been the only thing in his mind since he was captured, but Reyna's attitude was so unexpected that he couldn't control himself.

Reyna arched her eyebrows.

"I'm freeing you and you want me to explain my reasons?" she replied in disbelief "This is the first time I see a prisoner complaining about being released."

"I'm not complaining" he shrugged "But this is odd."

Silence lingered between them; the noise of birds in the sky and small animals on the trees were the only sounds heard on that clearing.

Reyna picked up a small rock on the ground and shot it away with force on the woods, watching the place around her with disinterest.

"You're not dangerous" she blurted out, when Prince Nico had already accepted the fact that he was not going to get an answer.

"I'm not dangerous?" he practically squealed.

Reyna nodded, picking up another rock.

"I am the Prince!" Prince Nico spit out the words "I am the heir of the throne. If I wanted, I could have you and your friends locked on the dungeons, so don't tell me I'm not dangerous."

Something like a snarl left Reyna's throat, while she glared at the Prince.

"Kid, the Queen is dangerous" she said dryly "That woman has been sending those soldier to hunt us down for months! We've been forced to change our location almost every week. We've already lost friends and all of our parents because that bitch you call stepmother just don't leave us alone! Then I don't care if you're the Prince or not. To me, you're just some spoiled bloke that got tired of your perfect life on the castle and decided to go on an adventure on the woods. So no, you're not what I'd call dangerous."

It would be hard to explain exactly what that speech made the Prince feel. Part of him felt sympathy for that girl; she was what, sixteen? Seventeen at best! And she was forced to act as a leader and take care of a bunch of other teens younger than her; she had to make them survive without any adult around.

But her judgment about his 'perfect life' annoyed Prince Nico deeply. She didn't know him, she didn't know his history, his past or what he had been through; she had no right to judge him like that or say anything about him with so much certainty.

Prince Nico didn't want to, but he felt a great amount of anger boiling up on his veins. His cheeks turned pink, as he felt a jolt on fury spreading through him.

"You know nothing about me" he snorted, fuming mad "You don't know the hell my life has been during all these years I've lived on that castle with Persephone. You have no idea what kind of things I had to bear, completely alone, on that place, after my sister died. So don't act like you're any way better than me, because you don't know anything."

Sparks flew when those two stared at each other intensely; none of them wanting to give up and look away.

"Maybe you're not as useless as the other nobles, but you're still free to go" she said "But the last thing I want is to piss off the Queen by holding her stepson prisoner. I already have enough trouble with that woman."

A humorless laugh escaped the Prince's lips.

"Do you think she cares if you're holding me prisoner or not? She would thank you for killing me if you did it" he said indignant "Persephone is evil, she wants me dead! I'm not having fun here, I'm running to save my life, okay? On a way, we're equals here."

"How would I know if you're telling me the truth? Everything you've said to me until now were some half-truths that I had do make a great effort to believe in. If you want me to believe in what you tell me, then be honest, _my Prince_, and maybe I can help you. Everyone who is enemy of the Queen is our friend, but what are you?"

It could be a mere tactic to get answers from him, or Reyna could be telling the truth. How could he know? He couldn't! Great part of his life was spent locked on his room on the castle, alone, especially after his sister's death.

In the end, he decided to give it a shot.

"Do you really want to know what happened to me?" he asked.

Reyna nodded.

"Then it would be better if we sit, because if I'm going to tell you about all my tragedies, it's going to take a while."

A loud laugh echoed on the clearing, as the two teenagers walked to the porch.

* * *

"Okay, so perhaps your life is not that perfect" Reyna said for the first time, after long minutes just listening to Prince Nico's story "This Percy must like you a lot. If I were him, I would have killed you without a second thought."

A twinge of pain hit Prince Nico's heart, once he remembered the risk Percy was putting himself into just to protect him. The feeling of guilt that came short after was also impossible to ignore.

"Yes, he's a great friend" he gulped "The best I've ever had."

A small smile curled on Reyna's lips, as she cast an amused glance on the Prince's direction, but she said nothing – and Prince Nico couldn't tell if that was better or worse.

"But as I was saying, we're leaving to another Realm" he said, changing the subject "That's why I was on the forest, I need to survive until then. This risk Percy and Sally are taking can't be in vain."

"You can stay with us for a while, if you want" Reyna offered, taking the Prince aback "But don't think we're going to serve you. You'll have to work with us, because no one will give you things here. Do you think Your Highness would be able to live as a peasant for some time?"

His dark eyes narrowed slightly; it was really difficult to tell if Reyna was serious, or if she was mocking him. He was quite sure she was doing both.

"Watch me."

* * *

Sunlight sneaked through the curtains on the Queen's chambers and woke her up earlier than usual. The woman, however, didn't mind it at all. She was in a great mood; the little brat was dead, she was once again the fairest of all Realms, she was rich, powerful and _young_. Nothing would spoil her day, not even the perspective of spending that day pretending to be sad about that brat's death.

Persephone sat on her bed, stretching her body lazily. She shoved the covers aside, heading to where her dressing table was set. Sitting on the chair, she combed her hair patiently and with care.

"Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?"

The question was like music to her ears, especially because she knew the answer. No, there wasn't anyone fairest than her… not anymore. Her last rival was dead and buried. That mere thought was enough to bring a smile back to the Queen's lips.

"No, there is no woman fairer in all realms, my Queen" the mirror answered.

"Exactly!"

"However" the mirror added "Prince Nico still is the fairest off all."

The Queen's smile died on her lips as soon as the words echoed on the room and she gripped the hairbrush with more force than it was necessary.

"What?" she snapped abruptly "The boy is dead! How could he be fairer than me?"

"But the Prince is not dead, Your Highness. The Prince lives."

Silence fell upon the room, while the Queen stared at the mirror in disbelief; its words echoing on her head like a curse… it could not be true.

"Damn old mirror, you're useless!" she snarled in fury "You're trying to fool me!"

Its empty eyes stared back at the Queen without expressions.

"I am just a loyal servant, my Queen. Allow me to show you, if you still have doubts about my loyalty to you."

The shadowy face disappeared from the mirror and on its place, short after, the image of a forest was shown. For a couple of seconds, all Queen Persephone could see was trees and more trees. Then, as the image grew closer to the woods, a small shack could be seen and soon, the Queen saw him.

Outside the shack, talking to a black-haired girl the Queen vaguely remembered from somewhere, was Prince Nico. He seemed tired but he was definitely alive.

"NOO!"

Her scream was filled with hate and Persephone threw the hairbrush in her hands on the nearest wall, shattering it. She couldn't stop staring the Prince's image reflected on the mirror; the boy had his hunting clothes on, his bow and looked well… almost happy.

What the hell was happening there? The Huntsman's boy had brought the Prince's heart to her. Persephone had held the organ in her hands while it was still warm; she had felt the brat's blood trickling down her arms. That image had to be fake, that had to be a trick of that old mirror.

The soldiers from the Royal Guard entered her chambers seconds after her screams. The woman turned on her heels to face them.

"GET OUT OF HERE! I HAVEN'T CALLED YOU. WHO GAVE YOU PERMISSION TO ENTER MY CHAMBERS?"

The guards stopped where they were immediately.

"But… Your Majesty…"

"OOOOOOOUT!"

Wasting not even a second, they left the room in a hurry. Persephone glared at the mirror once more, as soon as she was alone.

"The Prince is dead" she insisted, still refusing to believe that she had been fooled by two teenagers "I held his heart on my bare hands!"

Prince Nico's image disappeared and the shadowy face returned to the mirror.

"Are you sure, my Queen? Are you sure it was the Prince's heart?"

On a simple gesture, her hands were covered with the purple fog again, and when it dissipated, Persephone was holding the bag the Huntsman's son had given to her. She took the heart out of the bag carelessly and examined it with attention.

"A spell can prove I'm telling you the truth, Your Majesty" the mirror suggested.

"Yes" she agreed "A spell."

Persephone searched her memory quickly, until she found a spell to fit her purpose. If that was not the Prince's heart, to who did that belong? Who the kid had killed? After some seconds, the Queen realized she was asking the wrong question. The Huntsman's brat was too good, he would never kill an innocent… not even to save his beloved Prince's life.

"A spell to detect human blood" she mumbled to herself "I doubt that kid killed anyone."

Closing her eyes and holding the heart with both hands, the Queen whispered the spell, allowing the magic to flow through her body and reach the organ. When she was finished, her eyes opened once more and Persephone waited for something to happen.

Nothing happened.

The heart remained still, cold and sticky in her hands. Just a dead heart that, now she knew, was not even human. Her fingers curled around that useless piece of organ, smashing it with no remorse and threw it on the floor with anger; a hysterical scream slipped Persephone's lips.

"I'm going to kill them!" she roared "I'm going to kill them slowly and make them regret this. They have no idea of who they're dealing with."

No answer came, the mirror kept quiet, while the Queen just walked from a place to another on her room, trying to calm down and think. She had to do something, she couldn't let those two get away without punishment.

"Fool me!" she muttered to herself, indignant "They think they can fool me! They really believe they can fool me like this!"

Her footsteps echoed through the place as she walked, her hands resting on her waist to prevent them from shaking.

"Perhaps killing them wouldn't be enough, my Queen" the mirror suggested, some minutes later; Persephone had already thought on countless ways of killing those two brats, but the mirror's suggestion caught her attention immediately and she stared at it "Death is something too simple… too quick."

The Queen stopped where she was, her body stiffening a little, as her brain gave some thought to those words. Yes… perhaps that whole situation called for something more elaborated than a quick death.

The expression on her face softened; Persephone's usual coldness returned and cleared her thoughts. Yes, the mirror was definitely right. Those two freaks needed to feel on their flesh how bad they had screwed that time and the Queen had lots of planning to do.

"Let's play with them" she said calmly "Let's make them think they're safe for a while… then let's take everything from them."

A grotesque smiled appeared on Persephone's lips and she laughed.

"And let's start with our beloved Prince."

* * *

Prince Nico would never admit that out loud, but on those two weeks he spent with Reyna and her friends, he had more fun than he could remember having in years!

In total, seven persons lived on that small shack on the woods. Besides Reyna, Jason, Annabeth and Leo, lived on that place a super strong and kind guy named Frank; a small, dark-skinned girl, with golden eyes named Hazel and an incredibly beautiful, tanned girl called Piper. When Annabeth captured Prince Nico, those three had been out hunting and met the new resident when they got back home, at almost noon.

As Reyna promised, no one on their group treated Prince Nico differently because he was royalty. At first, the Prince thought the girl had just bluffed to keep her reputation as leader intact or something, but he soon found out that Reyna was not used to making empty promises and he would have to work hard to help them.

After he agreed on staying with them for a while, Reyna took him to one of the bedrooms upstairs. Leo and Jason we're soundly asleep on their beds – and Leo was snoring so loud, that the Prince wondered how Jason could be sleeping with so much noise.

"You're sleeping here with the boys" Reyna said, while looking for something on a trunk next to Jason's bed. She took out an ordinary mat made of straw, a pillow and a blanket and handed it to the Prince. The boy looked between the bunch of things on his hands and the empty bed on the room, then looked at Reyna again.

"What about that bed?"

"You can sleep there if you want, but that's Frank's bed" she said, shrugging "He's out hunting, you'll meet him later. Frank's a great kid, but he'll kick you out without a second though if he catches you sleeping on his bed. He takes his rests very seriously."

He frowned, hugging the stuff Reyna had handed him.

"And where exactly do you expect me to sleep? On the floor?"

"Unless you want to cuddle Leo while he snores like a dying pig" she retorted and it was more than visible that Reyna was having a lot of fun there "If not, Your Majesty, the floor is your best option."

A dark glare was his only answer to Reyna's joke. Damn girl was making his situation more difficult than it already was; that was just great! He really needed that.

Keeping his superior posture, the Prince walked to the farthest place from Leo he could find and placed the mat down on the floor. He lied down, ignoring Reyna's amused glance all the way.

"Good night"

It was already morning and he was aware of that fact, but he wanted Reyna to leave him. She just shook her head, still finding that scene quite funny, and left, muttering a quick 'good night', as she closed the door.

Prince Nico closed his eyes, trying to ignore Leo's scandalous snoring and all that layer of dust on the floor that made his nose itch. He needed to sleep, his body and mind were too tired.

But obviously he didn't sleep very much that day. Leo seemed to snore even louder after the Prince lied down. When he finally fell asleep, the room was already filled with sunlight.

That happened two weeks ago and, since then, Prince Nico had spent quite pleasant days on the company of those crazy teenager outlaws, but not everything was easy for him; he had a hard time trying to adjust to their routine.

They hunted a lot to get food, they were always arguing and fighting one another and Reyna sometimes could be really scary when she wanted to put some order on there, but honestly, Prince Nico had nothing to complain about. Although he had met those people for so short time, they were the closest things to friends that the Prince had ever had on his entire life (besides Percy, of course, but Percy meant much more than a friend to him).

With those seven strangers he shared the first meal where he had actually worked to get the food. With those seven strangers the Prince committed his first crime, when they robbed from some nobles who were travelling on the Queen's road. And with those seven strangers he felt comfortable enough to share some of his history.

All of them were friendly to him, but none treated him any different for being a Prince. They hunted together, told jokes to each other, teased one another, shared meals and watched each other's back.

And during all that time, he kept questioning himself; would it really be worthy to confront Persephone and get the throne back? The idea seemed so meaningless to him. What would he get if he confronted Persephone? A huge and empty castle; a castle where he had lived the worsts and most miserable days of his life. Why would he want that place back?

His parents were dead, his sister was dead and his stepmother wanted him dead. And even if he became King, what would he have, besides his status? Because Nico knew that, if he were King, he would have to choose a wife. That was what everyone expected from a King, that was what society imposed him… what would be the Court's reaction if he declared that he had no intention on choosing a wife? How would the Court react when they found out that the only one Nico wanted by his side was Percy?

Those questions haunted him every day and as days passed by, he realized that maybe it would be best if he just left all that mess behind. He could suggest that to Percy. They could run away from another Realm with Sally and, maybe, the Prince could even have a chance to win his best friend's heart.

* * *

"Your Majesty, watch out!"

Leo's loud voice called him on the woods, but Prince Nico didn't have the chance to see what exactly he was supposed to watch out. Before he could do anything, something hit him hard on the head and, then, everything went black.

* * *

Prince Nico's eyes opened slowly, as he tried to get used to all the light filling the place. His head was aching terribly and all that light was really annoying, what exactly happened to him? Better, where exactly was he? As soon as his vision cleared, he looked at his surroundings; he was back on the shack he now shared with the outlaws.

"You're finally awake!" Jason's deep voice filled the room.

The Prince's brain practically throbbed thanks to the noise but, following the sound of the other's voice, he saw Jason sitting on a chair near the door. He was polishing an old sword carefully with a rag.

"What happened?" Prince Nico managed to say, with his voice hoarse.

Leaving the sword and rag on the chair, Jason walked to the bed where the Prince laid.

"Very few people venture so deep on the forest" he explained, with his voice lower "But sometimes, some woodmen come because wood here is more resistant and of better quality. It seems that one of these woodmen left his work unfinished, because a large piece of oak tree fell right on your head."

"A branch?"

His head was aching too much and his thoughts were too messed to absorb so much information at once.

Jason nodded patiently.

"But believe me, the thing was huge" he added "You're lucky, Your Majesty, judging by the size of that branch, you should be dead by now."

A small smile curled on his lips and the Prince tried to sit on the bed, but everything seemed to spin around him and his arms were not strong enough to sustain his weight.

"Oooh, take it easy, champion" Jason said, reaching for his arms and giving Prince Nico some support "We don't want you to make unnecessary efforts, right? You just got hit on the head, it wouldn't be wise."

Growling in disappointment, the Prince allowed Jason to help him lie down on the bed again. He hated feeling useless; he had felt that way his entire life, when his stepmother categorically ignored him.

"Still hurting?" Jason asked him.

"Not much" he lied "But I can handle it."

Jason gave him a friendly smile and tapped his shoulder lightly.

"I know you can, you're stronger than you look."

A light blush spread on his cheeks and Prince Nico felt a great urge to look away. It was so unusual to receive compliments that he never knew how to reply.

"You should rest" Jason said "I'll let Reyna know that you're awake and don't have any serious damage. Hazel will probably drop by later to change your bandages."

"Thanks."

Jason picked up the sword he had been polishing and the rag from the chair and stopped next the door.

"You're welcome, Your Majesty" he shrugged "Just call if you need anything."

Prince Nico nodded and watched as Jason left the room. He rested his head against the pillow and closed his eyes; God, that headache was killing him.

* * *

Sally walked from a side to the other on the kitchen, while she waited for Percy to come back home. The bad feelings she had about that whole situation they were in were just getting worse as days passed by and now she was almost sure that something terrible was about to happen. She didn't know what it was and Percy was so focused on following the plan he and Prince Nico had set that it was useless trying to argue with him.

Until that day, nothing important happened to them. There were no guards following them, they were acting as usual and the Queen seemed to still believe on Prince Nico's death; she had arranged a great funeral for her stepson and had even cried a little during the ceremony.

However, Sally still had her doubts. Maybe she was just being paranoid and didn't need to worry with any of that. Maybe, Percy's plan would work and in a few days, they would be safe in another kingdom and far away from the Queen's reach. It was all these maybes that made the woman nervous. It was this uncertainty that didn't let her rest.

* * *

Queen Persephone practically danced around her chambers, collecting weird ingredients and taking them to her worktable, where a small cauldron was boiling something. A bluish smoke escaped the mix, as Persephone added the ingredients, humming the entire time.

"Your Highness is in a very good mood" her magic mirror commented "I suppose today is the day, then."

The woman grinned happily, adding a small piece of pomegranate on the cauldron.

"And you're right, dear Mirror" she said excitedly "This is a great day for revenge, don't you think? Today that imbecile I called stepson will understand who I am and learn that he should have never tried to fool me."

Thanks to her loyal Mirror, she knew exactly where the boy was and as for the Huntsman's brat… she knew what to do about him too; everything was going accord her plans. The Queen added a last ingredient and the smoke changed from blue to dark red.

She took a flask made of glass and filled it with a red mixture. When the flask was full, she closed it and put it on a basket with others flasks.

"Now a change of appearance" she announced.

And with a simple gesture, a dense purple fog covered the Queen's body. When the fog dissipated, an old lady, with a kind and friendly face, was standing exactly where the Queen once stood. The woman wore a simple cloak over her raggedy brown dress.

"How do I look?" the old woman, who once was the Queen, asked ironically.

"You look… old, Your Majesty."

A hysterical laugh escaped her throat.

"You're right, I look terrible" she agreed "The things I do for revenge."

She walked to the table and picked up the basket.

"Now excuse me, my loyal Mirror" she said, on a soft voice "I have a Prince to visit."

And without another word, she disappeared on a cloud of purple smoke.

* * *

It was not very surprising when Reyna told Prince Nico that he would not be joining the others for that day's pillage. He tried to argue, he told her he was fine and he could just hold guard, but it was useless; even the others agreed with Reyna and the Prince had no other option than stay at the shack.

Thanks to that, Prince Nico was lying on Leo's bed, completely bored and with a hell of a headache, while everyone was heading to the Queen's Road, for another day of pillage. That was so unfair!

Hazel had lent him some books, in case the Prince wished to distract himself, but it was really difficult for him to concentrate on any kind of reading when his brain was throbbing with no rest. He left the books aside quickly.

With nothing else to do, the Prince just stayed there, pondering about his life and what would happen to him on the next few days. He was lost in thoughts, when he heard someone knocking on the shack's front door.

Carefully not to get dizzy, Prince Nico sat on the bed, focusing on the sounds that were coming from downstairs. Did he imagine that knocking?

Once again, someone knocked on the door, ending with the Prince's doubts, and soon a soft voice was heard as well.

"Is anyone home?"

He stood up and peeked through the window; outside the shack, by the front door, there was an old woman with a basket on her hands. A frown formed on his face immediately. Jason told him very few people used to venture on that part of the forest, so what was that woman doing there?

"Is anyone home?" she called again, knocking on the door "I need help, here."

Leaving his suspicions aside for a moment, Prince Nico went downstairs and headed to the door, opening it just enough for him to stare at the woman.

"Yes?"

The old woman smiled at him, looking relieved; he could see her worried expression softening a bit.

"Excuse me, son, but could you help me?" she said, anxiously "I got attacked by some wild cats on the woods while I was trying to go back to the village and I think I won't be able to continue without taking care of these wounds first."

And as if she was trying to prove she was telling the truth, the woman lifted her skirts enough for the Prince to see the still bloody cuts on her legs. Those wounds were visibly made by claws and looked quite deep.

Looking more carefully at the woman, the Prince saw that her cloak had dirt and grass on many spots and was also missing a piece on its end. That was enough for him and, even with his head aching dully, Prince Nico helped the woman enter the shack; she was limping terribly and her blood left a red track on the wooden floor.

"Sit here, please" he said, guiding her to the nearest chair.

The woman followed him with some difficulty and dropped herself heavily on the chair. Her kind face contorted in pain.

"Just wait a minute" he added, taking the basket from her hands delicately and placing it on the table "I'm going to get a cloth to clean your wounds."

The old lady tried to protest, but Prince Nico disappeared through the shack before the woman had the chance to say anything. When he returned, he had brought with him a clean cloth, a bowl with water and some bandages.

"Please, I don't mean to cause you trouble" she said alarmed, as soon as the boy knelt before her to clean her wounds "I can take care of this myself."

"It's no trouble" Prince Nico said politely "Let me help you."

A grateful smile appeared on her face and she nodded. Prince Nico nodded back and, soon, he focused on the woman's wounds once more.

"What is your name, darling?" the woman asked, while he worked.

The truth almost slipped his lips, but the Prince was able to hold it back on the last second.

"Percy" he said, keeping his eyes focused on his task.

"You have a beautiful name, Percy. I'm Lauren."

In the end, the wound looked worse than it actually was. As soon as he got rid of all the blood, Prince Nico had a good view of the injuries; three long cuts, from her ankle to her mid-calf. He cleaned it with care, trying not to hurt the woman even more, then covered the injuries with the bandages.

"There, now you should feel better" he said getting up too quickly.

His careless movement caused him another wave of dizziness and he gripped the edges of the table to prevent him from falling.

"Are you okay?" the woman asked, scared, reaching for his arm.

Goosebumps crossed his body, as soon as the woman touched him; a bad feeling setting on his stomach immediately. The old lady stared at him with worry plastered all over her face, her brown eyes watching him carefully.

"Yes" he answered "I had an accident yesterday and I'm not fully recovered yet, but I'm fine."

He sat down on the chair in front of the woman, on the opposite side of the table and he felt his head aching even more. Was he imagining things?

"I don't even know how to thank you, young lad" she said "If you weren't home, I think I wouldn't be able to go too far with my leg that way."

"It's nothing, really. Are you feeling better?"

"Much better, thank you."

They made small talk for a while and the woman didn't seem to recognize him during their talk, to what Prince Nico was thankful for. It would be really bad for him to be recognized for anyone by that time.

After some minutes resting, however, the old woman got up to her feet; she wasn't limping so badly as before, but it was visible that her leg was still giving her some trouble.

"Are you sure you can walk to the village with your leg like that?" he asked.

Old women with injured legs venturing alone on the woods was not a scenario the Prince was very fond of, even if that particular old woman gave him the creeps, for somehow.

The woman just smiled fondly at him.

"Not very far from here there's a small inn" she said simply "If I don't make it to the village, I can stay there for the night."

He didn't try to argue, just nodded in agreement because, really, what else could he have done? He walked the woman to the front door.

"Wait a minute" she said, calling the Prince's attention "I want to give you something."

He waited patiently as the woman looked for something on her basket. Some seconds later, she pulled out a flask from the basket and offered it to the boy. Prince Nico just looked at the flask full of a sticky red mixture that looked like strawberry jam.

"It's pomegranate jam" the woman explained, seeing his hesitation "I made it myself and, honestly, I'm quite a good cooker."

She still had that fond smile on her face and had that good aura on her, but Prince Nico couldn't help but getting suspicious. It was on his nature to be suspicious of everyone, he had never had many people he could trust.

"It's not necessary" he tried to decline her offer as politely as he could.

"But I insist" she said trying once more "It's the least I can do."

He felt bad for declining her offer again, so Prince Nico accepted the flask. The woman didn't move and just stared at him expectantly for a couple of seconds, until the Prince finally realized that Lauren was expecting him to try the jam she had given to him.

He smiled sheepishly at her and opened the flask, the smell of fresh pomegranates made his mouth water as soon as he felt it. The paranoid part of his brain kept telling him not to eat it, but the other part of his brain was telling him that he was being foolish for suspecting that kind lady. The woman was just an old woman who wanted to thank him for helping her; there was nothing wrong there… right?

Choosing to ignore the paranoid side of his brain – and all the hygienic rules he had learn during his life – Prince Nico dipped his fingers on the jam and tried it. His dark eyes widened as soon as he tasted it. That was the best jam he had ever tried in his life, and he had tried lots of jams during his life.

"This is really good!" he said amazed "You must be the goddess of jams."

A small giggle left her lips, as she watched the boy eat some more.

"I told you" it was her only response.

He smiled back at the woman, feeling extremely silly for suspecting that good lady… until a maddening pain hit him on the stomach and the boy didn't have enough strength to remain up anymore.

The flask slipped from his hands and shattered on the floor, covering the wooden surface with its content. In seconds, the Prince was on the floor as well, his body contorting with pain; the excruciate pain on his stomach brought tears to his eyes, but what lead him to the verge of despair was his difficulty on breathing. What the hell was wrong with him?

The constant throbbing on his head that had been bothering him since his accident suddenly was not a problem anymore. Everything the Prince could feel was the insane pain on his stomach and a strange feeling of lethargy that was slowly taking over his entire body. As hard as he tried to understand what was happening, his brain was too clouded with pain to form any kind of coherent thoughts; there was only pain to him and everything seemed too bright and blurred for him to distinguish.

Hysterical laughter filled the place and, with great effort, the Prince gathered enough strength to look at the voice's direction. His entire body seemed to freeze when he found no one other than Persephone standing right beside him, looking down at him with disgust. And even with his brain barely functioning, the Prince understood quite quickly what was happening when he saw what clothes his stepmother was wearing… the old woman's.

"You?" the boy managed to breathe out.

The Queen crouched next to her stepson, getting close enough to face him properly.

"**_Me_**" she said with satisfaction.

Her eyes were practically shinning with excitement and she cupped Prince Nico's face lightly, before grabbing it fiercely and forcing him to look her in the eye.

"Feeling a bit weak, are we?" she asked ironically "Maybe, a little bit of stomachache."

He tried to get away from her, but Persephone was holding him securely and he was indeed feeling too weak to pull much resistance.

A low grown left his throat as a new wave on pain hit him. That seemed to entertain the Queen quite a bit and she released his face without warning. The boy fell on the floor again, but he tried to support his body with his elbows this time.

"What have you done to me?" he gasped.

Breathing was becoming a real problem as minutes passed by; he was fighting with everything he had, but his body simply refused to take the next breath.

With a small smile curled on her lips, Persephone did the last thing Prince Nico thought she would; she sat down on the floor beside him, without caring if the pomegranate jam was getting on her clothes.

"I'm going to take into consideration that you're probably getting too dizzy because of the lack of air, so you're not thinking straight right now" she laughed.

The expression of enjoyment never left her face.

"Isn't it obvious? I poisoned you, baby" she said, but seeing the horrified look on the boy's face, she quickly added "Right, maybe I used the wrong word, poison is too strong. You're not going to die, my dear, but what's going to happen to you will make you wish you were dead, sorry."

Panic.

The purest and truest panic that Prince Nico had ever felt grew on his chest, as the Queen caressed his hair delicately. If the Prince hadn't known that woman his entire life, he could have thought she was showing him affection… but that woman was Persephone and Persephone only showed affection for her.

"Little by little you're going to have more and more difficulty to breathe" she said softly "Then, when breathing seems almost impossible, you're going to feel really dizzy, I bet you're feeling a bit tired, aren't you? Don't worry, this is normal too."

The Prince gasped, trying to catch his breath. His vision was blurred and, although he could listen to her well enough, he couldn't distinguish Persephone's face anymore. He grabbed her dress, trying to steady his body, but the Queen pushed him with no effort and he fell on his back, too tired to even move.

"You know what's going to happen now, my dear?" she asked, really close to his face "The lack of air will make you lose consciousness and you'll get into a kind of coma… and you'll never wake up again. That's right, my beloved stepson, you won't die, you'll just sleep so deeply that nothing will be able to wake you up. The bunch of imbeciles that live here can try anything, but they will fail. You're going to sleep forever and during all this time, you're going to have the most horrible nightmares to keep you company."

Prince Nico could feel consciousness slipping away gradually indeed, as the amount of air in his lungs became insufficient. How he hated that woman! If he could, he would get up from there and beat the hell out of her, until all that hate was out of his system, but whatever Persephone had given him, was fulfilling its role perfectly, because he had no more strength to do a thing. Points of light danced in front of him, as he tried to remain conscious, although that was a lost battle.

For long minutes there was only silence and Prince Nico was convinced that Persephone had left him, when he felt her hand on his face.

"I imagined your death so many times, my dear" she spoke, in her usual cold voice "I swear, until a week ago, I was still planning on killing you, but now I understand that death is such an ephemeral thing, it's just too quick. If I had just killed you, I admit I'd feel happy at first, but after some time, the satisfaction would vanish. Now, knowing that you'll spend eternity trapped on a never-ending suffering… this will bring me joy every time I think of you. And before I go, I want to tell you something very important. Something that will bring you more nightmares to keep you company on your sleep and will also bring you a lot of frustration."

When the Queen spoke again, the Prince could feel her breath right on his ear.

"I killed your mother, your father and your annoying sister" she whispered.

The last thing he felt, before falling unconscious, was Persephone's lips when she kissed his cheek mockingly.

* * *

Reyna raised her arm, signalizing that the others should stop wherever they were. She looked around her briefly, searching for any trace of movement, but found none.

That was odd, really odd. The Queen's Road was always crowded with travelers, nobles and traders, but on that day everything was quiet. From the tree she had been hiding for almost three hours, Reyna could see that no one was coming on the road.

"Frank!" she called "Can you see anything from up there?"

"No one's coming" the boy, who was hiding on a higher tree, replied "Not even animals are showing today."

With no other option, Reyna climbed down the tree and went to where Piper and Hazel were. The two girls, who had been hiding on bushes at the edge of the road, met their leader halfway.

"Let's go back home, no one's going to show anytime soon" Reyna said "We're just wasting time here."

"The Queen must have ordered the closure of the road for some reason, wouldn't it be better to wait a bit longer?" Hazel suggested.

Reyna shook her head, but Piper was the one to answer.

"The Queen never closes the road for silly reasons. If the road is closed, something big is happening. We should get home soon, guards may show up anytime."

"And we shouldn't take risks now, not with the Prince with us" Reyna added "Call the boys, we're heading home."

In very short time, all seven teenagers were making their way home. There were no jokes during their walk, as it was usual. Everyone knew that the closure of the road was something serious, so they had to be cautious and silent.

It was almost dark when they reached the clearing where their shack was located and, by that time, everyone was already tired and eager to eat something.

"Wait!" Jason called suddenly, making everybody stop on their tracks "There's something wrong here."

He searched the place briefly and his eyes stared right onto the shack's open door. A frown formed on his face in mere seconds.

"Who was the last one to leave the place?" Reyna asked, noticing what exactly her friend was staring at.

"Me" Leo answered, scratching the back of his neck "But I closed the door, man, I swear I did."

"The Prince!" Hazel gasped, alarmed.

And soon enough, the seven teenagers sprinted to the front door.

* * *

The Queen reappeared on her chambers on a cloud of purple smoke; a smile of pure joy was plastered on her beautiful face. The last time she felt that happy, she had a dead King at her feet, now she had a Prince trapped forever on a sleeping curse... not bad!

"Mirror!" she called happily and soon the shadowy face appeared on the magic mirror "Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?"

"You, my Queen, is the fairest of all kingdoms" the mirror answered and soon added "I suppose your plan worked."

Persephone laughed, unable to control her enjoyment.

"The brat really believed on the tale of the old woman in need, what a joke!" she said "Well, at least he's not a problem anymore. Now I'll have to deal with the Huntsman's boy, and then is over. But I'm going to need help with that one."

"Your Highness has something in mind, then?"

Her chocolate brown eyes were glistening on a maniac way, something really close to madness.

"COMMANDER!" she yelled.

The reflection on the mirror returned to normal; any trace of the shadowy face completely gone.

The Commander of the royal guard entered the Queen's chamber with no ceremony and bowed before the woman.

"Yes, Your Majesty?"

Persephone looked at the man before her briefly, then turned around and walked calmly to her balcony without saying a word. It was late noon and the sun was setting on the horizon. The Queen rested her hands on the rail, enjoying the view for a bit.

"Your Majesty?" the Commander called again, once the Queen remained silent.

"You know the boy you and your men have been watching for me?" she asked, with her eyes fixed on the sunset "Do you remember that I said that you'd have to do something for me when the right time comes?"

"Yes, Your Highness, I remember well."

She turned on her heels, facing the Commander once again; he was by the door, watching her carefully. Persephone stepped closer to him.

"The right time is coming" she said softly "I need you to choose your best men to do what I have in mind and I'll need your help with some of the planning. Are you and your men willing to do anything for your Queen?"

As an answer, the Commander knelt before her once more.

"We'll do anything Your Highness want, just give the order."

She smiled kindly at him and her hand rested on his shoulder carelessly.

"Then stand up and help me, we have some planning to do."

* * *

Everyone was already asleep on the shack, but not Reyna. Since the day they had found the Prince unconscious on the floor, looking more dead than alive, falling asleep was something really hard to her. The girl couldn't help but blame herself for what happened to Prince Nico; she had left him alone when he had no conditions to and now she felt the weight of guilt on her shoulders.

"What happened is not your fault."

She looked away from the fire she had been staring for almost an hour and turned to face the owner of that voice. Jason. Of course it was Jason, who else would be worried with her sense of guilt? He was her best friend, after all.

She sighed, reclining on the chair.

"Of course it's my fault" she said bitterly "He told me the Queen was looking for him, that she wanted him dead, but I let him alone. For heaven's sake, Jason, he had just had an accident and I didn't even think about the possibility of leaving someone here to keep him company. Now he's upstairs, unconscious for more than a week and we have no idea of how we can wake him up. It is my fault."

Jason walked to where his friend was and sat right beside her. His sparkling blue eyes fixed her black ones and he took her hands in his, squeezing them lightly.

"You're too hard with yourself. You had no way to know that right on that day someone would come to harm him" he argued full of certainty "Reyna, you may be our leader and act like an adult model for us, but you're just a teenager. You're allowed to screw up sometimes too. Sadly, this time, an innocent suffered, but you can't keep torturing yourself because of this. What we have to do is focus on finding a way to bring the Prince back. You said it yourself, he's just unconscious, he's not dead, and we can fix this if we stay together."

Jason's words were comforting and the girl knew he had some reason there, but it was so hard for her to left all that guilt behind. She smiled at him weakly, though, and squeezed his hands back.

"You're right, Jason, we need to focus on finding a solution to this mess" she agreed "But first, we need to deal with something important."

The boy arched his eyebrows, waiting for his friend to explain.

"In three days, the Prince was supposed to meet that friend of his" she told him.

"That Percy guy" he said, finally understanding where Reyna's thoughts were leading to "Shit, I had already forgotten about this. What are we going to do?"

"What else can we do? We're going to meet the boy on the clearing he and Prince Nico were supposed to go and we're going to bring him here, then explain what happened. If he and Prince Nico are such good friends, I'm sure he'll help us with this problem."

A frown formed on Jason's face, as he gave the matter some thought.

"And what if this Percy refuses to help us?"

Reyna shrugged.

"Then Prince Nico has been wrong about this guy during all this time" she said dryly "But with or without this boy's help, we're going to find a way to wake the Prince. He can't stay like that much longer, no one can survive too much time without consciousness."

Jason nodded and the girl soon completed.

"And if this is Queen Persephone's doing, she's going to pay."

* * *

It was almost dark when Percy headed back home from the market. He had spent that whole day gathering the last things they would need for their journey and, now, they were almost ready to leave.

Even though his mother had begged to leave as soon as possible, Percy decided that it would be better to wait and act discreetly. They couldn't just get lots of supplies on a single week and leave without a word; that would draw too much attention! Instead, almost everyday since he had left Prince Nico on the woods, Percy visited the market and got useful things for their journey.

Percy made the way to the area of the village he lived on lost in thoughts, stopping only to greet some people he knew and bringing everything he had gotten that day with him. He was halfway home when he noticed a strange movement on the road.

There were people running on the same direction he was heading and some even bumped on him, just to keep running short after without even apologizing. Frowning slightly and considering all that movement too weird, Percy walked a bit faster, wanting to find out what was that all about.

"Percy, wait!"

He stopped on his tracks, as soon as he heard someone calling him. His eyes found Grover, one of his oldest friends, running towards him.

"What's happening, Grover?" Percy asked, curiously, once his friend was close enough to hear him.

The other boy seemed to get completely awkward by Percy's question and for a few seconds, he remained quiet - which was really weird, because Grover was someone who usually talks all the time. Percy didn't like that silence.

"Grover, what's happening?" he asked once more.

The amount of people running on that direction was increasing by each second and, honestly, Percy could feel a strange fear growing on his chest already.

"It's your mother" Grover finally spoke carefully "I've been trying to find you the whole afternoon."

"What about my mother?"

By God, Percy's stomach froze when the words left his friend's mouth and the fact that Grover had his eyes filled with tears was not making Percy feel any better.

"Your mother..." Grover's voice failed, and he cleared his throat to keep talking "She... I'm so sorry, Percy."

Percy stared blankly at his friend for a very long time; his brain still trying to understand what exactly Grover's words meant. When reality hit him, Percy started running like a desperate person.

He ran as fast as he could, opening his way through all those people on the road and even bumping on some others. He needed to get home, but when he did, he wished he hadn't done.

If on the road there lots of people, in front of his house there was a real crowd. Percy pushed people aside, muttering excuses and apologies, until he finally reached the front door.

Unlike the outside of the shack, inside the residence were only the Sheriff and his two deputies. And lying on the kitchen floor, next to the table they used to share their meals, was Sally. Her body still, pale and covered in blood; her blue eyes blank, staring at nothing, while her body rested on a huge puddle of blood. The cut from an end to another of her throat was opened like a bloody macabre smile.

It felt like everything around Percy suddenly stopped. Once his eyes found his mother's dead body, every sound around him went quiet, as if his brain was shutting everything else down and the only thing that Percy could do was stand there, completely still, facing Sally's corpse. His body was too numb and, even if he wanted, he just wouldn't be able to move a muscle.

"Percy!" he heard someone calling him, but the voice was so distant that the boy chose to ignore it.

"PERCY!" the voice called him again, this time close enough to bring him back to reality.

And right there, reality hit him with no mercy. His mother was dead. The woman who had sacrificed herself her entire life to raise him honestly. The woman who had spent countless nights awake beside him every time he got sick. The woman who used to read him bedtime stories, that tucked him in and, not even once, had forgotten to kiss him goodnight. The woman who had been there to kiss him or comfort him, whenever Percy had a bad dream or got hurt. That woman, the kindest woman he had ever met, his mother and the woman he had loved unconditionally his entire life... was dead.

"Mom" he sobbed, and a few tears fell from his eyes, as Percy stumbled to where his mother was lying.

It didn't matter that his clothes were getting soaked with blood. It didn't matter that all those people peeking through the open door and windows could see him like that. It didn't matter whatever was happening around him, actually.

Getting his mother's cold body on his arms and with a suffocating sadness taking over him, Percy hugged her dearly and refused to let her go.

The Sheriff and his deputies tried to calm him down, but their efforts were useless; Percy was too deep on his own sorrow to give a damn about anything else. So after some frustrated attempts, the Sheriff left him alone.

But eventually, after long minutes and a couple of tears, the trance he had locked himself into passed and when that happened, all Percy felt was... _nothing_; the kind of pain he was experiencing was too great for him to even feel it and, along with the emptiness, came an absurd sense of calmness. He felt like, once he had lost his mother, nothing could be bad enough to bother him at that moment.

"Percy?" the Sheriff's voice called him carefully "We need to talk, lad. I want to know if you have any idea of who could have done this to your mother."

The laugh that left his lips was uncalled for and, he had to admit, a bit insane; a low sound, humorless and full of sarcasm. Anyone could easily take him as crazy, but he didn't mind that at all. He had just lost his mother, he had every right to go a bit crazy if he wanted to.

His green eyes looked at the Sheriff and the boy cast him a dark glare.

"I know exactly who could have done such a thing" he said "And she's going to pay for this."

* * *

Steam filled the room gradually, as an almost fifteen year-old servant girl rubbed the Queen's arms with a soft towel and the woman rested comfortably on her bathtub.

"The Queen is so pretty" the girl blurted out, shyly, while she worked.

Her brown eyes opened when she heard the compliment and Persephone turned her head enough to look at the girl, through all that steam; a satisfied smile adorning her gorgeous face. The servant girl was a tiny little thing, with freckled face and a curly red hair that could certainly use some washing. The only real beautiful thing on that girl was her eyes; they were of a peculiar shade of blue and even Persephone couldn't deny they were fascinating.

"The prettiest of all lands, actually" the Queen corrected "There's no one prettier than me."

Someone opening the door and entering the room interrupted their conversation, though.

"My Queen, the Commander of the Royal Guard wants to see you" another one of her servants said "I told him that Your Majesty can't see him now, but he's insisting. He says is something really important."

Those words were enough to get Persephone's attention and she sat on the bathtub; her long hair fell on the water and got soaked, but she didn't even care about that.

"Annie, get my robe" she demanded, talking to the redhead, and turning to look at the other servant, she added "Tell the Commander to wait me on my chambers, I'm on my way."

The woman bowed, and then practically sprinted through the corridors to do as she was told.

With the girl's help, the Queen put on the fine robe to cover her nudity and headed straight to her chambers, without even care with the wet trail she was leaving on the floor, and that one of her servants would be forced to clean later.

"I hope you're here with good news" Persephone said, as soon as she entered her chambers "I'll be extremely displeased if the Commander made me abandon my bath to receive bad news."

Standing on the middle of the room, the Commander had his usual serious expression on his face... but it changed once the Queen appeared. His face softened considerably and that simple change ended with any doubts Persephone still had.

"We have a new orphan on the village, Your Majesty" the soldier told her with cruel satisfaction "It seems that the Huntsman's widow fell with her neck right on a sword, while she was cleaning the house. Poor woman."

Queen Persephone laughed hard, incapable of hiding the pure joy those news had brought her.

"It's a shame" she agreed, chuckling.

It took the Queen some minutes until she was finally able to regain her composure.

"Did you and your men act discreetly?" she asked.

She walked casually to the small table disposed next to her recliner chairs, a jar of wine rested on the table and the Queen served two cups of the liquid; one of them she offered to the Commander, who accepted it awkwardly.

She pulled the jar of wine down and sat on one of the recliners.

"Yes, Your Highness" the Commander assured "I sent two of my men disguised as merchants, none of the neighbors realized who they were."

Persephone tapped the place next to her on the recliner and the soldier sat down beside her, still holding his glass of wine.

"Come on, tell me more" she asked, sipping her drink "Did she scream?"

The Commander shook his head, to Persephone's disappointment.

"This is sad, you know? Usually, the desperate screams are one of the best parts "she sighed "But go on, tell me the whole story my Lord Commander, I want to know everything" and smiling on a sickening way she added "And do not spare me of any detail."

The Sheriff and his deputies ended up being a serious problem to Percy. On that first night, when he found his dead mother, he basically had to kick the men out of the house and scream to all the gossipers to get the hell out of there. Just then, Percy was left alone with his grief and problems.

During his mother's funeral, Grover tried to talk to him, but Percy gave him a lame excuse and went home as soon as the ceremony was over. He didn't want any of his friends to get involved on the mess he was in. His mother had gotten involved and died because of this, Percy didn't need any other death on his conscience; the burden he would have to carry his entire life was already too heavy for him.

Alone and with nothing else to hold him on that village anymore, Percy focused on his plans with Prince Nico. Yes, his mother was dead, but what else could he do? With the Queen aware, or at least suspicious, about his treason, Prince Nico was Percy's only chance of revenge; the possibility of seeing the Prince again was the only thing giving Percy enough strength to keep going. And when the day of their meeting finally came, Percy left the village without looking back.

* * *

For several hours, Percy rode in silence. He was too lost in thoughts during the entire time and, of course that thanks to that, he ended up getting lost at least three times and wasted long minutes trying to find his way back to the right path. It was late morning when he reached the clearing Prince Nico was supposed to meet him but, to his disappointment, no one was there.

Maybe the pain on his chest for the recent loss of his mother had distracted him until that moment, but just when he reached the clearing Percy noticed how nervous he truly was; and the fact that Prince Nico was not there yet just made him even more nervous.

Percy climbed down the horse and tied it on the nearest tree. His only option was to wait so that was what Percy did; he sat down on the grass and started to exam all the maps he had brought with him.

To his despair, however, as the minutes passed by and became hours, Prince Nico's absence persisted. At that time, Percy was already on the verge of having a heart attack and he had no way of holding back his anxiety anymore. He gave water to his horse, polished his sword with a rag and wasted a great amount of time drawing weird patterns of the ground, but none of that was enough to keep him distracted for too long. The maps he had been examining on the beginning had long been forgotten on the grass, while Percy kept walking from one side to another on the clearing. He had already imagined various scenarios to justify the Prince's delay and, thanks to his current state of spirit, none of them were very nice.

Percy was already considering the idea on getting into the woods and look for the Prince, when he heard the sound of steps coming from behind him. He turned on his heels quickly, but instead of Prince Nico, his eyes found a curly-haired blonde girl with tanned skin. The girl stopped on her tracks as soon as she saw him, still half-covered by the wood's shadows.

"Are you Percy?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

The girl stepped out of the tree's coverage, but stood on a safe distance from him, Percy noticed. He remained where he was, but his hands found the sword on his belt instinctively.

"Who are you?" he said, ignoring the girl's question.

She didn't look bothered by his lack of courtesy.

"I'm Annabeth and I'm here to meet you on Prince Nico's place" she answered shortly "I'd like you to follow me."

Percy took a step back, when Annabeth tried to get closer to him and he pointed the sword on her direction. She stopped immediately.

"Where's Prince Nico?"

Annabeth hesitated for a few seconds and Percy didn't like that.

"Prince Nico couldn't come, but I'm here to take you to him."

"And why exactly he couldn't come?" the boy snapped.

That wasn't right. Prince Nico would never send someone to do things for him like that, Percy knew it and that whole situation was too weird; the fact that he had never seen that girl before just made everything even worse. She definitely was not a noble; her looks were too wild for such a thing.

Annabeth raised her hands, showing that she had no intention of attacking him and took a few careful steps towards Percy. This time, he stayed on his place, but he kept the sword pointed to her. The tension between them was visible.

"Something happened, something that I won't be able to explain you right now" she said and once she noticed that Percy was going to argue with her, Annabeth added "I live on the woods with six more friends. We found the Prince lost in the forest one night and we took him in, he's been staying with us since then, but he had an accident and he couldn't meet you here today. Luckily, he told us about you and I was able to come here to get you. All I want is to take you to the Prince, that's the order I received from our leader, Reyna, and that's all I want to do."

Her little speech was quite convincing, Percy had to admit that, but caution was still holding him back.

"How will I know that you're telling me the truth?" he asked, arching his eyebrows.

"You won't know, that's the point" Annabeth said, simply "I can easily be just one of the Queen's servants that she sent to lead you to a trap. But, I can be telling the truth instead and you'd probably waste your only chance of seeing the Prince again. It's your choice, though, to believe me or not, do as you please."

Percy hated that kind of psychological game; his brain ached just for trying to catch the meaning of all those insinuations. He growled angrily, pissed off with that frustrating situation he was in.

When Annabeth moved suddenly, however, he got out his ponderings and approached the sword to the girl's chest, on a silent threat. Annabeth showed no fear.

"Hey, there's no need to be all jumpy" she said, reaching for something on a small bag that hanged from her belt "Here."

She threw a small object to Percy and the boy caught it in midair. When he opened his hand, to see what was that all about, he realized he was holding a skull ring. More specifically, he was holding Prince Nico's skull ring, the ring he had gotten from his sister when he was little and that he wore all the time since Princess Bianca's death. Percy's eyes widened when he saw the object.

"It's like I said, maybe I'm lying, maybe I'm not" Annabeth stated "But I think this proves that I, at least, met Prince Nico, right?"

"Maybe you stole this from him" Percy said; his eyes fixed on the ring in his hand "Maybe you killed him and took this from his corpse, now you want me to follow you so you can kill me too."

A playful grin appeared on the blonde's lips and she nodded.

"True, but I'll give you something else" she said and started to pull out lots of knifes and other weapons from hidden pockets on her clothes "You can have my weapons and, if this will make you feel safer, you can tie my hands, so I won't run. I'll just lead you to the Prince, I don't need weapons to do this."

He still didn't trust that girl, he barely knew her. But God knew he needed to see Prince Nico again; that was the only thing keeping him sane on that moment. So, even though he was aware that he could be walking straight to his certain death, Percy listened to his heart that time and simply said:

"Ties are unnecessary, but the weapons stay with me. Now lead the way."

* * *

The fact that Annabeth indeed kept her word and lead him to a small shack hidden on the woods surprised Percy, but the fact that all her friends were waiting for them outside the place surprised him even more; a bit more of surprise was added when the boy saw that none of them had any kind of weapon in hands. When he and Annabeth were approaching the small group, one of the girls took the front and greeted him - and Percy understood that that was the leader Annabeth had mentioned.

The boy didn't wait for any introductions, though. The first statement that left his lips when he was close enough to be heard was:

"Where's the Prince?"

The teens next to them were muttering things to one another, but the leader herself was showing no kind of emotions.

"Come with me, please." she said.

And Percy did.

* * *

When Prince Nico didn't show up at their meeting place and Annabeth told him that had had an accident, Percy had imagined lots of different scenarios, but none of them prepared him for what he found inside the shack.

He followed Reyna to the second floor of the building and they stopped in front of a wooden door the leader had pointed to him.

"Wait" Reyna said, grabbing his arm with force, before he could open the door.

Percy glanced at the girl, still trying to figure out if he could trust those people or not.

"Before you enter there, I want you to know that when we found the Prince, he was already like that" she told on a mysterious way.

Percy didn't understand what she was talking about, but he didn't like how that declaration sounded either. And once Reyna remained quiet after that, Percy reached for the doorknob and opened the door, that lead to a small room, he soon found out.

The lack of organization or space on the room didn't bother him at all; he didn't pay any attention to it actually. On the instant that he entered the room, his gaze fell upon the figure of Prince Nico, who seemed to be sleeping in one of the beds.

His skin, that had always been pale, on that occasion was ten times paler and the Prince was so still that Percy couldn't tell if the weak up and down movement of the boy's chest was real, or if he was just imagining it. He seemed to be just sleeping, but anyone who looked at him with attention could tell that he was _not_ just sleeping.

And seeing Prince Nico there, immobile, like he was... like he was... that was just too much! It was too much for Percy's nerves, for his aching and still wounded heart and for his own sanity.

On a quick and completely unadvised movement, Percy grabbed Reyna by the neck and pinned her to the nearest wall. That was not how Percy used to deal with his problems, he was not a violent person, but the amount of shit he had been going through lately was enough to change that.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HIM?"

Percy's heart was jumping on his chest and his vision was slightly blurred as a wave of pure fury started to grow inside him; he was practically panting and his self-control was almost inexistent.

To his surprise, though, Reyna didn't even flinch because of his attitude. Percy had her trapped on the wall and was grabbing her neck with brutality, but the girl was glaring at him with such a cold calm that it was baffling.

"Let go of me" her cold voice was a bit muffled, once Percy was still holding her neck.

He didn't let go and, then, Reyna simply gripped his wrists and twisted them with surprising strength. Pain spread through both his arms and Percy was forced to release the hold he had on the girl, to prevent her from breaking his arms.

"Damn it!" he cursed and was ready to try another attack to the girl, when Reyna pulled out a knife from her boot and pressed it against Percy's throat.

"Will you listen to me?" she asked deadly serious.

Percy's eyes filled with tears but, with great effort, he was able to hold back a sob before it escaped his throat.

"You killed the Prince!" he accused completely out of control, his voice shaking.

Without warning, Reyna slapped him fiercely, causing his left cheek to sting. The boy's green eyes widened in shock and he stumbled back, so forceful it was the slap Reyna gave him.

"You slapped me!"

"You were acting like a hysterical girl and making ridiculous accusations!" she snapped, holding the front of his shirt and shaking the boy violently "Pull yourself together boy, or I won't think twice before letting Jason and Frank kick your ass."

It was really weird being threatened by a girl several inches shorter than him, but Percy indeed pulled himself together after that and tried to control his nerves again.

"I'm going to ask you again" she said, still holding the front of his shirt "Will you listen to me?"

Could he really trust that girl and her friends? No, he couldn't. But until that moment they had kept their words and Reyna had just attacked him, because he attacked her first. He was in no position for bargains, either, so swallowing his pride, Percy just nodded and Reyna finally released him.

She didn't take long to tell him everything she knew. She told him how Annabeth had found the Prince on the woods and how they had taken him in. She also told him that Prince Nico had shared with her some information about how the Queen tried to kill him and how the Prince got injured the day before he lost his consciousness.

In general, Percy had to admit that what she told him made sense and the fact that none of Reyna's friends had tried to backstab him just made him believe her more.

When she finished, Percy's gaze fell once more over the Prince's pale figure, resting on the bed.

"Is he...?" he tried to ask, but the words got stuck on his throat.

Reyna was standing beside him, watching his every reacting with curiosity.

"Dead?" she said, finishing his question.

That single word made Percy shiver.

"No, he's not dead" Reyna assured "When we found him, we thought he was, but then we saw he was still breathing. It's really weak, though. If you don't pay attention, you won't even notice it, but he is alive.

Percy said nothing; in part, because he didn't know what to say and, in part because he had a lump in his throat that wouldn't allow him to speak, even if he tried. The only thing he was able to do was stare at the Prince, as he tried to deal with his messed up emotions.

"On a way, I feel guilty for what happened to him" Reyna told him, once Percy remained quiet "I shouldn't have let him alone. Not after his accident. Maybe, if someone were here with him, the Prince would still be awake."

More silence and, this time, Reyna sighed.

"You can stay here as long as you want" she said "We'll be downstairs if you want to talk or need anything."

Percy nodded in agreement, looking away from Prince Nico just long enough to watch when Reyna left the room and closed the door behind her.

* * *

"For how long is he upstairs?" Hazel's worried voice filled the room.

It had been a while since Reyna left Percy alone on the room with Prince Nico. The night was dark and the boy's had already left the shack to patrol the area around their clearing. At that time, just Hazel, Annabeth, Piper and Hazel were at home, gathered around the fireplace.

"Around three hours, I'd guess, maybe more" Reyna replied, but she was lost in thoughts.

"It wouldn't be best if we checked him?" Piper suggested and it was noticeable she was worried as well.

Reyna just shook her head.

"Let him be, he needs this time" she said "Neither of you was there when that boy saw the Prince lying unconscious, it was something really sad to watch. He looked like someone who had just lost his last reason for living. I've never seen something like that before."

"But what if he doesn't leave the room? Reyna, he must be starving right now."

She understood her friends' worries, but she just shook her head again.

"I doubt he wants to eat anything right now, even if he is starving" she said, ending the discussion "Let him alone for now, okay? If by tomorrow he stays upstairs, we'll check on him."

* * *

Once Reyna left him alone, Percy stared at the sleeping Prince once more; his green eyes unable to look away, and for a long time, he just stood there, with no clue about what he should do next.

When he had left the village, the idea of finding Prince Nico again was his only comfort, the only thing giving him courage to keep going. But now what? _Now what? _His mother was dead and Prince Nico was trapped in unconsciousness for God knows how long and couldn't do anything to help Percy.

He was alone. There, on that tiny room, on the shack of a bunch of teenagers he barely knew, Percy realized that he was alone. He had no one to help him anymore, he had no one to comfort him and no one who cared for him; he had lost the two persons he loved the most and his old friends were out of his reach now.

And there, on that place, Percy finally cried. He cried for his dead mother and for the shit his life had turned into. He cried for the Prince and for being unable to help him. He cried for himself and for the loss of his chance of revenge. All those suffocating feelings he had been piling up since that whore of a Queen threatened him were finally free and, even if Percy tried, he couldn't control the non-stop tears running down his cheeks. His chest ached too much and he felt too miserable to control his own body. The only thing he knew on that moment was that he needed to get rid of all that never-ending pain that had been growing on his chest.

Stumbling, Percy reached the bed where Prince Nico lied still, in his enchanted sleep, and dropped his body on the edge of the bed, taking Prince Nico's cold hands in his.

Then, he cried until he couldn't do it anymore. He cried until he had no more tears, and until he felt so tired, that he fell asleep without even noticing.

* * *

"Well, I must admit that it was quite a touching scene" Persephone stated, watching the scene reflected on her magic mirror; there, a Percy on he verge of despair cried upon the Prince's almost dead body.

The image vanished, when the shadowy face returned.

"And the Queen once again proves how smart she really is" it complimented "Among all your plans, crushing that poor boy's hopes this way was, by far, the smartest one."

"Yes, I know" Persephone agreed, with no false modesty "I can be really creative when I want and this time I think I overdid myself. This boy has no more reasons to face me and I doubt he is stupid enough to come back to the village, he knows I'll kill anyone he still cares about if I have to. He has nothing. And now that I no longer have to worry about little usurpers trying to steal my reputation and title, I'll be able to rule this Kingdom on _my way_. It's time for this people to finally know their true Queen."

"Long live the Queen" the Mirror said.

"Long live the **_Evil Queen_**" Persephone corrected and the maddened glimmer was on her eyes.

* * *

Dawn found Percy still asleep; his head rested against the bed and his hands were still holding Prince Nico's. It was like that that Annabeth found him too, when she entered the room, and a pang of sadness hit her immediately. Reyna was right, that boy in front of her was completely lost; she could see it on his still swollen face and on the desperate way he seemed to grip the Prince's hands even in his sleep.

Annabeth forced that pity out of her mind; that was not the time to get sentimental. She crossed the room trying hard not to make any sounds and woke him up as delicately as she could.

At first, it was visible that he had no idea of where he was and it broke Annabeth's heart to watch when he finally remembered it. It was sad to watch when the life gradually died on his eyes, as he saw the Prince's sleeping form once again. When Annabeth asked him to follow her to the kitchen, Percy tensed, but his empty stomach growled really loud and he ended up doing as the girl asked.

To his relief, the place was empty. Maybe its residents were being kind to him and giving him space to mourn his losses, or maybe they just didn't care enough to stay and were just waiting him to leave. It didn't matter the reason, though, Percy was just glad for their absence; the last thing he wanted at the moment was a bunch of people questioning him.

Annabeth put a plate of food in front of him and just then Percy realized how hungry he truly was. He ate with no ceremony and almost choked on the process.

"If you want more, just say it" Annabeth offered, when he was almost finished.

He stared at the blonde girl in front of him and shook his head, declining the offer, and then turned his attention to the food again.

"Do you know what you're going to do from now on?" she asked, a couple of minutes later "Prince Nico told us you were heading to another kingdom."

The mere mention to his name made Percy's eyes sting again, but Percy held his tears back. He would not break down again; he could not actually. He rested the fork next the plate and took a deep breath to calm down his thoughts.

"I don't know. I need to think things over."

And that was true, he really needed to think; he needed to decide what to do with his life.

"Reyna told you can stay with us for a while, if you want" Annabeth suggested, when Percy remained silent "During the time he spent with us, Prince Nico talked about you a lot and we were able to see how close you two were."

'And why not?' Percy thought to himself. It wasn't like he had anywhere else to go. And besides, he would need at least a couple of days to make a decision.

"Thank you" he finally said, offering the girl a sad smile.

Annabeth smiled back; in that situation, a sad smile was better than no smile at all.

* * *

For three days Percy stayed with Reyna and her group and he soon found out how that group of outlaws earned the Prince's trust so quickly. Yes, they were a bunch of outlaws, they didn't have any kind of discipline - even if Reyna worked hard to control them - and they were extremely noisy, but despite all of that, they were _good people_.

Kind of ironic that Percy found himself thinking that about people who robbed from others to survive, but it was truth and once Percy understood their 'robbery policy' the boy ended up admiring them. They never robbed from the poor; their targets were only the nobles and the ones who had more money than they could ever use.

They were just a bunch of teenagers trying to survive by their own on the forest and yet, they showed enough sympathy to take Percy in without even knowing him properly and allowed him to think about his life.

What should he do now? During those three days, that was all he thought about.

He couldn't go back to the village he had spent his whole life, that was madness! The Queen had already killed his mother and would not think twice before killing anyone else.

And seek revenge all by himself would not be very wise either; he had already tried to attack the Queen by himself once and it was useless because that whore had magic.

He was almost giving up on any hope, when a thought crossed his mind and, suddenly, Percy knew exactly what he had to do. If Prince Nico was just sleeping, Percy would find a way to wake him up and to achieve that, he would leave the kingdom and hunt down the most powerful wizards and witches to give him a cure. With that thought in mind, everything else got easier and clearer to him.

He had no more family, he couldn't go back to his home and couldn't give up on his life. For his mother, he had to find a reason to keep going and he realized that saving Prince Nico from his enchanted sleep was what he wanted to do; Percy would do anything to achieve that goal. On a certain way, Prince Nico was everything he had.

That was his best choice, but on no way it was the easiest one. The thought of leaving Prince Nico behind, even if it was just temporarily, was difficult to him and made his heart ache. But after three days gathering some courage, Percy decided it was time to leave.

Reyna tried to argue with him, when Percy told her about his decision; she tried to say that going out there alone to hunt down witches was madness, that magic was a dangerous thing and that he couldn't risk his life like that, but it was all in vain. And having nothing else to say, Reyna just accepted his decision in the end and promised that she would take care of Prince Nico as long as it took Percy to come back.

"Won't you say goodbye to the Prince?" Reyna asked him quietly, when she realized that Percy was planning to leave immediately "You don't know when you're going to see him again."

For a few moments, Percy hesitated. Saying goodbye to Prince Nico, even if he was still sleeping, would hurt too much, but of course that he ended up agreeing with Reyna's suggestion. He climbed the stairs to the second floor carefully, his heart already racing in his chest, and Percy needed a couple of seconds to gain enough courage to enter the room.

And there was Prince Nico; his pale skin practically glistening with the sunlight that filled the room and illuminated it. Percy approached the bed where he lied and sat on its edge, allowing himself to watch Prince Nico's beautiful face one last time. He looked so calm in his sleep, so in peace and free from any kind of worries.

"I'm going to find a way to wake you" Percy whispered, cupping the Prince's pale face lightly "Even if it is the last thing I'll do. I'm going to fix this."

Then, using the last bits of courage he still had and with the knowledge that he would not see his Prince for a long time, Percy did what he had always wanted to do, but that he had never had the guts to do when Prince Nico was awake. Leaning down, Percy joined their lips on a chaste kiss; a silent goodbye and also a promise that he would do anything he could to keep his word.

What happened next, however, was everything but planned. As soon as Percy's lips touched Prince Nico's, a wave of energy spread through his body, like a shock, causing Percy to pull back in reflex. And to his most complete and utter disbelief, Prince Nico's eyes snapped open and he gasped for air, grasping on Percy's shirt fiercely.

* * *

For how long was he trapped on that hell full of nightmares that Persephone had imprisoned him? Honestly, Prince Nico didn't know. Time passed differently there and although sometimes he couldn't distinguish if what was happening to him was real or not, when Prince Nico opened his eyes and he found himself staring straight into Percy's green eyes, he knew that the curse had been broken and he was once again on the real world.

Because seeing Percy again made the Prince happy like he hardly felt in his life, and he knew Persephone would never do anything that could bring him happiness. Yes, he was confused, he didn't know what had happened, how he had been awakened, how many days had passed; his head was still hurting, his body felt numb but having Percy there was enough to give him the sense of reality he needed so desperately.

"Percy?" he managed to say, with his voice hoarse from lack of use.

The only response he got from the boy in front of him was a tight hug; such a tight hug that Prince Nico would have complained if he wasn't so in need of that contact. He hugged Percy back, hiding his face on the crook of his neck and enjoying the comforting feelings the boy's body heat provided, as Prince Nico felt the sensibility returning to his own body.

"I thought I had lost you forever." Percy muttered.

"I thought I was lost forever" he answered.

And for a very long time, they stayed that way, on each other's arms and without saying a word. Obviously, they would have to pull apart some time and when they did, and they stared properly at each other for the first time, Prince Nico's curiosity got the best of him.

"What happened while I was asleep?" he asked, his dark eyes searching for any kind on answers on Percy's green orbs "How am I awake? Did Persephone try anything against you?"

The emotions that showed on Percy's face were too confusing for Prince Nico to understand them all. There was anger, pain and so much more, and all of them so powerful that the Prince couldn't quite describe it. Percy shook his head, placing his hand on the Prince's arm.

"Before I tell you anything, let's take care of you" he said "You've been asleep for almost three whole weeks, we need to make sure you're alright. Then, we can talk about what happened."

There was something extremely sad on the way Percy said those words and Prince Nico couldn't help but wonder what could have happened. Someone as joyful and carefree as Percy had always been would need a good reason to become so gloomy.

* * *

Prince Nico soon found out what had happened; once Reyna had managed to calm everyone down - because everybody had been so excited about the Prince's awakening that they kept talking non-stop -, Percy told him what happened on the last weeks.

And if he already hated Persephone before, when he learned what had happened to Percy's mother - and specially, when he saw reflected on Percy's face how much sorrow that loss caused him - Nico promised to himself that he would make that woman pay for everything she had done to Percy.

* * *

When night came and all the inhabitants of the shack were fast asleep, Prince Nico got up from his mat on the floor and slipped away from the small house. After all that time trapped on a sleeping course, the last thing he wanted was to fall asleep again.

Taking care not to wake anyone, the Prince opened the front door and walked to the grass, where he sat down. The cold breeze was invigorating and allowed him to think properly; on a way, the cold helped him to calm down.

Everything was still so confusing to him. Persephone's madness, her retaliation for ridiculous reasons, the guilt he felt for Sally's murder. Because sure, Percy had assured him it was not his fault, but Prince Nico was quite aware that that was not true. If Percy had not helped him, Sally would still be alive, so the Prince Nico knew whose fault it truly was.

"You're going to freeze if you stay here on the cold for too long" Percy's voice said, breaking the silence the Prince had been in for a while.

"I like the cold" he said thoughtfully, as Percy sat beside him on the grass.

"Still. Not tired?"

Prince Nico cast him a playful glare, a sarcastic smile curling on his lips.

"Percy, I slept for almost three weeks. I don't think I'll sleep again anytime soon."

There was no poison on the Prince's voice, no criticism, and Percy knew it, because he chuckled at Prince Nico's answer.

"Fair enough."

Silence fell upon them, while the two boys tried to think on anything to say. That whole situation was so awkward! Prince Nico had spent days surviving just to be able to see that boy again, but now that they were reunited, he had no idea of what to do. And it seemed that Percy was facing the same problem, which didn't make their situation any better.

"And you're not tired too?"

"I wanted to talk to you, actually, in private.

That statement caught the Prince's attention; his eyebrows arched and he frowned slightly.

"I was not entirely honest with you" Percy spoke, looking at the grass "When we were inside, when I was telling how I woke you up. I lied."

The way Percy talked, his voice so small that was almost a whisper and looking so ashamed of something, that Prince Nico was having a hard time to believe that person in front of him was truly Percy; the cocky, hyper self-assured boy for who Prince Nico had developed so many conflicting feelings.

"What exactly are you talking about?"

Percy's eyes met the Prince's for the first time and nervousness was reflected on those fascinating green orbs.

"I didn't try to wake you using my blood in some crazy ritual, that ended up working. I don't even know any ritual at all!" Percy said, scratching the back of his neck "I just... I just k-kissed you."

"WHAT?"

Prince Nico could feel his cheeks getting hot, while Percy was visibly making a great effort to force the words out of his mouth. Suddenly, the Prince's heart was beating really fast. Did he hear it right, or was that some strange joke of his stressed mind?

"I kissed you" Percy said again, this time more firmly "I kissed you and somehow this woke you up."

His mouth got dry, his heart seemed to be really close to exploding and his brain was almost collapsing; Prince Nico felt all of that at once and tried to process what Percy had just said to him.

"Only a true love's kisses can break curses, Percy" he said, gulping "What makes this whole story really ridiculous, because for this to work, you'd have to love me.

The Prince regretted his words as soon as they left his mouth; Percy looked so hurt by them, that it was heart wrenching.

"The problem with this theory is not me loving you" the snapped bitterly "The great problem here is that you'd have to love me back and **_this_** is something ridiculous. Why would you love me, right? I'm just a peasant, a guy, who developed feelings for the Prince. Someone completely out of my reach."

"Y-you like me?"

The glare Percy gave him was partially impatient, partially hurt.

"Why would I have kissed you, if I didn't like you?" he said, and it was clear that it was really hard for Percy to say those words "For a long time I've been fighting against all these feelings. I keep telling myself that they will simply disappear someday, but I finally understand that this is useless. They won't disappear like that, at least not until I admit them and, screw this, I'm admitting them now."

He took a deep breath, before continuing; his breathing was already irregular.

"I like you Prince Nico. Hell, maybe I even love you, and when I was about to leave, I realized that I would never forgive myself if I wasted my last chance to show how I truly felt about you. Yeah, you were sleeping and it may sound incredibly sick of me, but when we parted on the woods after we set that stupid plan, I felt this same urge and I ignored it and I ended up regretting greatly. I didn't want to feel the same regret again."

By God, the Prince's silence was killing him, but Percy waited for his answer patiently. He felt the sweat trickling down his forehead, despite the cold breeze blowing, and he gripped the hem of his shirt to prevent his hands from shaking. When Percy Nico looked at him, though, his face was so calm that Percy couldn't help but feel himself calming down too.

"I understood what you meant, but you just forgot about one thing in this whole speech of yours" he said "If I'm awake, it's because the true love's kiss worked. And for a true love's kiss work, both persons must be in love, not just one of them. So maybe, in the end, this theory is not so ridiculous as it sounds and you're not the only one feeling things you shouldn't feel."

Percy had no time to even reply, because as soon as he was finished talking, Prince Nico just grabbed him by the front of his shirt and kissed him. On that moment, it didn't matter that they were both guys, that the Court would never support such a relationship or that both of their lives were in risk. The only thing that mattered to Prince Nico was that Percy was there with him and had practically told him that he loved him. Prince Nico could definitely deal with the rest later.

Percy's hands found the way to the back of Prince Nico's head and he deepened the kiss; enjoying that moment that, to him, was still to good to be true. Their position, however, was not the most comfortable for that kind of thing so the kiss longed less than they wished.

"Wait" Percy called, completely out of breath "Does this mean you love me back, then?"

An involuntary chuckle escaped the Prince's lips while he tried to catch his breath. He turned his body on the grass, so he could look properly at Percy this time.

"Yes Percy, this means I love you back" he said, cupping his face tenderly.

The sincere smile that appeared on the boy's face was enough to melt the Prince's heart and, in mere seconds, their lips were moving together again, this time in a breathtaking kiss.

* * *

The cold wind didn't allow them to stay outside much longer, so once neither of them felt the need of sleep, Percy and Prince Nico lit up the fire on the first floor and stayed together, cuddling next to the fire.

"What are we going to do about Persephone?" the Prince asked.

His head was resting against Percy's shoulder and the other boy hugged him securely by the waist. Percy sighed.

"I have no idea" he admitted "But she made it clear that she doesn't mind killing people."

Percy's voice failed a little in the end and the Prince knew he was referring to his mother's death.

"I'm so sorry for your mom, Percy. I never wanted any harm for her, but I should have imagined that Persephone was capable of such a thing, shouldn't I?"

"I'm sorry for her too" he said, fighting back the stinging in his eyes "But it's not your fault Nico, it's the Queen's fault."

Flames danced in front of them, on the fireplace, keeping them warm and illuminating the room, but as they talked about that specific subject, the cold seemed to grow around them, as well as the shadows.

"If we're going to act, we can't take too long this time" Percy said thoughtfully "We must take her by surprise, or we'll be useless against her magic."

"We're going to need help"

Getting out of Percy's comforting embrace, Prince Nico finished his chain of thoughts as soon as he saw that Percy had every intention of interrupting him.

"If I show up at the castle, Persephone will conclude that you're with me" he explained "We can try dealing with her by ourselves, but we're going to need a plan B. I'm not saying that we should involve many people, but we need someone smart, brave and crazy enough to go with us."

"And you know exactly who is this person" Percy said, noticing the glimmer on Prince Nico's eyes.

"Yes, I do."

* * *

They had a plan, the help they needed and were focused on their task, as insane as that whole scheme could sound. That was their only chance and they had the element of surprise by their side. If something went wrong, no innocent would get hurt, and if they succeeded, they'd get rid of Persephone forever.

* * *

While watching the castle from their hiding place, Prince Nico could barely believe that that was where he had grown and spent his whole life. In very short time, Persephone turned the great building in a dark scary-looking place. Maybe that had been her intention indeed; after all, Persephone never enjoyed being close to anyone who wasn't nobility.

"We need to go" Percy whispered, right beside him "It's almost time for the guard to change shifts."

Prince Nico nodded, taking Percy's hands in his and intertwining their fingers. Among all those horrible things Persephone had done to them, for one thing the Prince had to thank his stepmother; if she hadn't planned against him, Prince Nico would have never known about Percy's feelings.

"There's still time to give up" he said, to the person hiding on the woods with them "Are you sure you want to go on this suicidal mission?"

Reyna approached them and slapped the Prince's head; an ironic smile curled on her lips.

"Just learn this, Your Majesty" she said faking impatience "I never run from a good challenge. And besides, suicidal missions are the funniest and you two are too soft and naive to go on this without me."

It was almost impossible for Prince Nico to hold back the smile forming on his face, but he did. He was also thankful for Reyna being there with them, because that girl was by far the toughest person he had ever met.

"The others will get really pissed when they found out that we left them behind" Percy commented.

"And you can't even imagine how much!" a fourth voice, really familiar, spoke on the woods, startling the three teenagers.

Even with all the darkness, it was not very hard for them to identify Jason walking straight to them, followed by the others as well. Prince Nico cursed.

"What the hell are you doing here? You should be at home!" he said angrily.

That was not on his plans!

"If you're thinking that you're breaking into the castle alone, you're out of your minds" Annabeth snapped at them and it was more than clear that she was also angry with that who story "We're going with you and don't even waste your times trying to convince us otherwise."

Clenching his teeth, Prince Nico massaged his temples, trying to think. Damn it, he would have to change his plans and he would have to do it quickly, but first, they needed to get inside the castle, or they would miss their opportunity on the change of shifts.

"Stay quiet and follow me" he hissed, stepping out of the woods' shadows and running to an area of the walls that there was no watcher."

* * *

Once they had set a new plan – this one maybe better than the previous one - they had to split up. Hazel, Annabeth, Piper and Leo went to the watchtowers on the wall. Prince Nico had explained to them that two men used to keep watch in each tower, controlling who was getting in and out of the castle. Their job was to get rid of those guards and wait, ready to open the gates if their group needed to escape quickly from the place.

The castle was deep in silence when the second group, led by Prince Nico, finally broke into it. Prince Nico guided them through empty galleries, that had barely been used on the past years, until they reached the wing on the castle they wanted; they were really close to the Queen's chambers. From where they were hiding, they could see two soldiers standing guard in front of the door to the woman's room.

The Prince cast an anxious glance to Frank and Jason.

"That's on you, boys" he said.

Both guys nodded, then left the protection of their hiding place and walked right to the soldiers.

What Frank and Jason told the guards, Prince Nico was unable to hear from where he was, but it was indeed quite funny to watch two trained soldiers having their asses kicked by two teenage boys. In very few time, they had stolen the men's equipment and armor, leaving the soldiers on just their underwear. Frank and Jason dragged those two unconscious guards to the nearest broom closet and locket them inside of it.

"This armor is the stupidest thing I've ever seen" Frank grumbled, trying to fix the thing on his broad chest "How can these men even move on it?"

"At least yours is not stinking" Jason replied, making a disgusted face "I'm sure the soldier from who I got this doesn't even know what a bath is."

"Shut up both of you!" Reyna muttered impatiently "Did you check if there's anyone on the room?"

Rushing to the door, Frank knocked, while Jason positioned himself on the other side, where the soldier had been standing.

"Your Majesty?" he called on a deep voice.

No answer came. He called again twice and received no answer either, so Frank then just opened the door. The room was completely empty. Jason signalized to the others, indicating it everything was clear.

"Good luck" the blonde wished to Percy, Reyna and the Prince while they sneaked into the room and closed the door.

"Good luck for us too" Frank said, getting to his position as guard as well.

* * *

Persephone hated when she was forced to leave the comfort of her chambers in order to do boring things like meetings to talk about the kingdom's finances or to deal with political issues. She didn't even care for the kingdom's finances as long as her luxuries remained intact.

She walked back to her chambers, massaging her temples on a frustrated attempt to get rid of a headache; those imbeciles from the Royal Council managed to spoil her day! Persephone would make sure to send them some flasks with her special pomegranate jam very soon.

The Queen ignored the guards by her door, as usual, and finally entered her room. She took of her shoes and was already heading to her dressing table, when she noticed someone else's presence on the place. Persephone turned around quickly, her eyes searching the room briefly, until she saw the figure lying on her bed. A jolt of panic set on her stomach.

"Missed me?" Prince Nico asked, smiling brightly to his stepmother; his muddy boots resting casually on her comforter.

Persephone stiffened on her place for some seconds; the shock so visible on her features that Prince Nico would have laughed if this wasn't something extremely dangerous to do. He had to tease her, anger her, but not tease her too much.

"You were under a sleeping curse" were the first worlds to leave her lips and when they did, the Queen had already regained her composure "I watched that brat cry over you, I watched you suffer until you couldn't move a muscle."

"Yes, and now I'm here. Awake and ready to get back home. Aren't you going to greet me, stepmother? Don't I deserve a welcome hug?"

He stood up from the bed and Persephone watched his every move. Prince Nico hoped that he was not looking as nervous as he was truly feeling, because that would be bad for his plans.

"How are you awake?"

The question hanged between them, as Prince Nico walked casually around the room, analyzing the place with curiosity.

"You know, I think I've never entered your chamber before" he said, ignoring her previous question and picking up a weird-looking object from one of the bedside tables "What's this used for?"

"Killing you, if you keep touching my things" she said coldly.

The Prince just shrugged and put the object back on its place.

"How are you awake?"

"You've already asked me that."

"And you haven't answered me."

"Because it doesn't matter"

He paused his examinations long enough to cast a quick glance to Persephone.

"What really matters is this" he continued "I'm back and ready to accept my duties as King when I'm old enough. I mean, if you don't mind it, dear stepmother. I know that your position as Queen is really important to you, important enough for you to curse me, right?"

The laugh that echoed on the room was wicked and completely unexpected. For the first time since he had started to tease her, Persephone seemed to be having fun with that. She rested her hands on her hips, laughing hard.

"You really think I cursed you to keep my position as Queen?" she asked "Yes, I love my title and everything, but did you really think that I was scared that a kid like you would be able to steal my throne? Don't be so naive, boy."

She stepped closer to him, until she was face to face with Prince Nico. The boy felt a strong urge to step back, but he held it back.

"But thinking about it, maybe I should give you your duties, just to be free from those Council meetings" Persephone retorted ironically "Do you want to know the real reason for my curse?"

Silence was Prince Nico's only response and, for some reason, that just made the Queen smile even more. Her hands grasped the Prince's face fiercely, before he could get out, and brought him closer, until their noses where almost touching.

"I won't be overcome by a stinking little brat like you" she hissed with hatred "I worked hard to ascend from a pretty low noble girl to fairest person in all kingdoms and I will not let a depressed stupid boy like you, who doesn't even brushes his hair most of the times, steal my position. You don't deserve what I work hard to keep. You're **_not_** prettier than me, I don't admit that!"

He released him suddenly, pushing the Prince away.

"You're sick! You cursed me because you convinced yourself that I was prettier than you? You're completely insane!"

"I AM NOT INSANE!" she yelled, losing control.

When Prince Nico tried to reach for his sword, she stopped him with a simple wave of her hands.

"No, no, no. You can't attack your stepmother" she teased "This is rude, darling. I thought I had raised you better."

The Prince went flying over the room, repelled by one of Persephone's spells, and his body hit the wall with force, then fell to the floor on a loud thud.

"I see that curses are useless with you" she said.

A purple fog grew around the Prince, while he tried to get up, and soon he was suspended in the air; his feet inches from the floor as an invisible force dragged all the air out of his lungs. What was her deal with suffocations? That was so annoying! But Persephone seemed to be having quite a good time, because she just couldn't stop grinning and laughing that creepy wicked laugh.

"Die!" she said, entirely focused on what she was doing.

Well, actually, almost entirely focused. Somehow, Persephone saw the knife coming in her direction and she stopped it mere inches from her face.

"What the hell?" she growled, turning around.

Percy almost hit her with his sword, appearing suddenly from behind one of the many mirrors disposed by the corners of that place, but Persephone vanished on a cloud of more purple fog, just to reappear next to the door of her balcony. That moment of distraction, however, was enough to release the Prince from her spell.

Trying to take advantage of that moment, Percy attacked the Queen again, but Persephone had already recovered from the surprise and managed to trap him with a paralyzing spell. She dragged Percy's paralyzed body next to hers as soon as she saw Prince Nico trying to get closer to her.

"If you get any nearer, I swear I'll rip out his throat" she threatened.

The Prince stuck on his place; the sword in his hands preparing a hit.

"You don't need to do this, Persephone" he said, taking a few cautious steps in her direction.

The Queen stepped back, bringing Percy with her.

"Of course I need to do this" she snapped, losing control again "I should have known that this boy would be part of this with you. It was he who woke you, wasn't he? TALK TO ME!"

"YEES!" Prince Nico yelled in reply, when he saw Persephone digging her nails on Percy's neck.

"How? HOW?"

"True love's kiss!"

Persephone blinked a few times, trying to decide if she had heard right or not. When she realized that the Prince was serious, she started to laugh again.

"I can't believe it" she chuckled "I've always knew that you were a freak, darling, but this time you overdid yourself. God, this is going to be so much fun, I can kill your boyfriend first, make you watch it, let you suffer for a while and just then kill you."

"Let him go, Persephone. Please" the Prince begged "Let him go and you can do anything you want with me."

"The things people do for love... this is disgusting" she rolled her eyes "But sorry, I will kill your boyfriend too. It's going to feel like completing a cycle. The same way I killed your parents and sister, I also killed our lovely Percy's parents. It wouldn't be fair if I left this unfinished, right?"

"Oh! I think I've never told you this, have I?" Persephone asked, ironically, seeing Percy's green eyes widened in shock "Yes, your father was a good servant, until he found out about the part I played on the King's death. He tried to blackmail me, which was a very bad idea, and I dealt with him. At least he's not alive to see what kind of freak his son has turned into. And I say the same about your father" she finished, looking at the Prince.

Three steps. That was all Prince Nico was able to get closer to Persephone, when he threw himself on a furious - and reckless - attack. Immediately, he went flying over the room again, but this time, when he hit the floor, a maddening pain spread through his arm and the left side of his torso, accompanied by the disturbing sound of bones cracking.

At that time, Persephone had taken so many steps back, that she could feel the wind right on her back coming from the open door to her balcony.

"Enough of this game, I'm tired of you two!" she roared, digging her nails so deeply on Percy's neck, that blood began to drip from the small wounds "You had the chance to stay hidden, little brat. I'm going to end this once and for all. Say goodbye to you..."

"Oooooh, shut up!" a fourth voice, that Queen Persephone had never heard, echoed on the room and, before the woman could even turn her body to see what was happening, she felt a sharp pain on her back.

* * *

The world seemed to spin around her, while Persephone tried to comprehend what was happening to her. She could taste blood on her mouth and the pain on her back was propagating to her entire body; she didn't have enough strength to keep any spells, so the Huntsman's boy was already out of her reach.

Her eyes roamed over the room, looking for explanations, looking for the source for all that pain and they found just the form of a girl, of who Persephone couldn't even distinguish the features.

"Wh-ho..." she started to say, but the words died on her mouth, when the girl crouched right beside her and pressed a dagger to her throat.

"Long live the Evil Queen" the girl whispered to her.

The dagger slid from an end to another of the Queen's throat and the blood spilled from it like a macabre cascade.

* * *

"It's over" Reyna spoke, cleaning the blade of her dagger on her pants "Are you two alright?"

Percy helped Prince Nico to stand up; besides from the small wounds on his neck, Percy was feeling great. Prince Nico, on the other hand, seemed to have a broken arm and, he suspected, some cracked ribs.

"A little help here would be nice" Percy told her and, soon, Reyna was by the Prince's other side.

"Be careful with the arm" the Prince cried out.

"Don't be such a lady" Reyna retorted, but she did held him more delicately after that.

She and Percy led the Prince to the bed and helped him to lie down. The pain on his ribs was terrible and the smallest of movements was enough to bring tears to his eyes.

"I'm gonna talk to Jason and Frank and ask them to warn the others that it's over. You'll be okay without me?

Percy nodded and Reyna left the room quickly.

His attention returned to the Prince once again. Percy sat on the edge of the bed as delicately as he could and took Prince Nico's uninjured hand in his own. The Prince opened his eyes, despite the pain, and managed a small smile.

"It's over" he sighed, visibly relieved.

"It's over" Percy agreed "And now you're the King."

A humorless laugh slipped his lips before Prince Nico could control himself. Why didn't that sound so appealing to him?

"Big deal" he grumbled.

Percy squeezed his hand, trying to pass some kind of comfort, but Prince Nico was not looking for comfort on that moment. Yes, Persephone was dead and he would be King, but there was still one thing he needed to take care of.

"Are you going to stay with me?" he blurted out, before he lost his courage.

The question took Percy aback and his hesitation was latent.

"You said you had feelings for me. That was what woke me up and that was what gave me enough courage to come here and face Persephone" he said seriously "So I want to know, are you going to stay with me?"

"The Court..."

"Screw the Court, they're a bunch of useless imbeciles" Prince Nico interrupted "I'm going to be King and I'll be the one deciding who's going to stay by my side and isn't. My life has always been shitty and full of crap, you were one of the few people who actually made me feel something good. I want you by my side, Percy. I need you by my side, I can't do this alone."

The erratic beating of his heart and the cold feeling on his stomach were hard to ignore, but Percy tried to control it enough to answer.

"You're not going to call me 'Queen', are you?" he asked, on a fake serious tone.

"Only if you want me to" Prince Nico answered, laughing.

A new wave of pain hit him when he laughed and his face contorted again.

"No, Percy is okay for me" he shrugged "But I accept your offer. This whole 'true love' story must mean something, right?"

"Yeah, it must" the Prince agreed.

And when Percy leaned over him, giving him a careful kiss on the lips, Prince Nico was sure that, from that moment on, everything would be fine.

**_~FINIS_**

* * *

**An Author's Note**

If you're reading this, it means you probably read the entire story. Congratulations, you have patience, my love.

Thank you for staying with me this long! Thank you very much.

Reviews are always welcome ;)

_**percico-feels**_


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